Graceful Apocalypse
by StillNotGinger16
Summary: What would happen if Mark had a bigger sister? A bigger sister who had become hard before the apocalypse? What would she look like? How would she act? How would she change throughout the story? How would the other characters act towards her? Her life was a living hell before, from one life scaring moment to the next. But how will she act when people start eating each other?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Hello!**

**Here is the prologue of my new series 'Graceful Apocalypse'. Basically, I fell in love with the game 'The Walking Dead' and I thought of making a new character and throw her in there.  
**

**This is a little different from the other 'Walking Dead' fan fictions, I will assure you.  
**

**I hope you enjoy!  
**

**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD AT ALL... BUT I DO OWN ELEANOR.****  
**

Eleanor laid on the bed in the hotel, her hands folded tightly on her stomach as it raised up and down as she breathed calmly.

She narrowed her eye's as she saw her brother, Mark, pace back and forth in the small motel room.

"Relax, Mark." She sighed, closing her eye's.

"Relax? How can I relax? There are a ton of walkers out there, and if we even tried to get out we'd get our face's chewed off." He exclaimed in a hush tone. Sound attracted the walkers, so they tried to stay as quite as they possibly could.

"Calm down, Mark. We've got plenty of food and water. All we have to do is wait it out until the government gets things settled." Eleanor explained, nestling herself on the bed as she placed her headphones over her ears.

"How can you be calm while there's an apocalypse out there?" Mark asked, sitting on the chair just across from the bed.

"Easy. Like this." She said, switching on some soothing music, and breathed out as it calmed her further.

Mark sighed. Eleanor was always very strange. Her taste in style, her music, her aspirations, even her hair wasn't ordinary. It was blue, not just a tint of blue, but actually blue. It was a birth defect she had, a very rare one. The doctor's had said it was impossible. Blue wasn't in mammal genetics, but there she was with blue hair, plain as day. They said it was a miracle, but some other doctors said it might be cancerous. They tested her for the first five years of her life to see why her hair was that color. It turns out it was in the families genes, the only family who has those genes. The doctor's proposed changing her genetics so her hair could be a normal color, but their mother refused. If she was special, they didn't' want to take that away from her. In her teen years she would always dye it black, trying to make it look more normal so the kids wouldn't make fun of her. She hated it, she hated being different. But ever since she joined the police force she was convinced on keeping it blue. No doubt she loved it now. The clothes she wore made it look like she was torn between growing up but keeping her childhood close to her. She always had a pink bow in her hair, and lots of necklaces that were multicolored, making anybody who looked at her get reminded of cotton candy. Mark sometimes thought she wasn't even related to him. He used to tease her as a child, pulling at her blue hair and calling her an alien.

It became a problem when she would introduce herself as one. Mark chuckled as her remembered her old phrase.

'Hello, I am alien, but you can just call me Eleanor.'

A sound from outside sent Marks nerves through the roof. He peeked out the window and saw the car from outside move all on it's own. As it crashed into the wall it revealed three people hiding behind it…

"Eleanor." He whispered harshly. When she didn't respond he nudged her roughly. She frowned deeply and took off her headphones.

"What is it?" She spat, sitting up angrily.

"There's somebody outside." He whispered.

The two of them went to the window quickly, careful to not make noise.

There were two guys and one girl. One guy was Asian and wore a baseball hat. The other guy was wearing a blue shirt and was black, and the girl looked like an American reporter.

"What the hell are they doing?" Eleanor asked in a hush.

"No idea." Mark answered.

They watched as the man in the blue shirt come over the end of the car that had smashed into the wall, and stabbed something into the walkers face. He grabbed the fire axe and went up the stairs to the balcony where that girl was trapped inside…

"Their trying to help her." Eleanor whispered.

The man swung his axe at the walker in front of him, sending the metal right into the girls skull, and then swung again at the second walker, cutting his head clean off.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Mark said, holding his stomach.

Eleanor snorted.

"Don't be dramatic. He's good. Wonder if he can help us out of here." She thought out loud.

"Are you crazy? They'll kill us." Mark said.

The two of them stayed quite as they watch the man cut off the boards on the door to the room with the girl inside, and began to try and kick it open.

When he stopped and backed away the girl opened the door, revealing she had been bitten.

"Oh shit." Eleanor whispered.

"What?" Mark asked.

"Let's see if they are really good guys or not."

"How?"

"Shush, and let me listen." Eleanor hissed, and paid close attention to what they were saying.

"No I won't be fine, my boyfriend was bitten. You die then you come back and kill anything you can find!" The woman yelled at them.

"You have a girlfriend?" The guy in the baseball hat asked solemnly.

"Glenn!" The girl with the gun nudged his arm angrily. Alright, so his name is Glenn.

"I don't want that, it's not Christian! Please, just leave me. Please just go." The woman begged.

"Come with us, we'll find you some help." The man with the fire axe pleaded.

The woman looked to the reporters gun, her eye's calming slightly.

"Oh fuck." Eleanor exclaimed as quietly as she could.

"What? What's she gonna do?" Mark asked.

"If you don't want to see brains being splattered all over the tarmac, I suggest you get down, Mark." She whispered.

"Is she…"

"Yes." She answered Marks's question before he could finish.

"PLEASE! I don't want to be one of them. They're… they're… satanic." The woman begged.

When nobody said anything, she yelled again.

"Give it to me PLEASE!"

"This is crazy!" Glenn said.

"Please. Step back." The woman with the gun said.

"It's just two seconds, one bullet, and I can be with my family, and I'll be fine." The woman rambled on, walking closer and closer to the woman with the gun.

"Miss…" The man with the fire axe said soothingly.

"Back up!" The woman with the gun yelled, sending the other woman flying towards her.

She pushed her against the balcony, fighting to get the gun.

"PLEASE!" She yelled.

Everyone panicked and tried to prey the woman who was bitten of the woman with the gun.

"That balcony's not gonna hold." Mark said.

And just as he was predicting the future, the balcony collapsed, sending them all to the ground.

The gun slid away from the group, and the bitten woman ran to get it.

She backed away from them slowly.

"Whoa, take it easy. We wonna help." The man in blue begged.

"You can't." the woman said, and put the gun to her head.

"Oh god." Mark moaned, stepping back from the window slightly.

"Grab my headphones if you don't want to hear." Eleanor said.

Mark quickly pulled the headphones over his ears, and fumbled with the iPod, trying to find a loud song. Once he did he laid down on the bed like Eleanor was doing before.

"Miss. Just relax now… you've got to think this through… we'll find a doctor, it'll be okay, let's all just…" The man in blue tried to beg.

A look came over the woman's face… a look Eleanor knew well.

"No!" She yelled at the same time as the man in blue, and she covered her mouth quickly, cursing slightly. That was weird... she normally never cared for things like this. She'd seen suicide's plenty of times on the job... why was a feeling of lose and sorrow building up in her?

The woman pulled the trigger, sending the bullet flying into her brain. Blood splattered everywhere, and she fell to the floor like a rag doll. The reporter looked at Eleanor's direction, and she ducked slightly. When the woman looked away she raised her head.

Glenn grabbed the gun from the dead woman, and vomited next to her. Some people just can't handle the stress. Mark would have done the same if he hadn't fled from the scene like he did. But not Eleanor. She had seen a lot of people do this while she was on the force. A deep emptiness borrowed it's way into Eleanor's chest, and she pulled away from the window, putting her back on the bed and curled her legs close to herself. She was confused... why was she feeling this way?

"Shit! Here they come!" The man in blue yelled, and they all ran into their car and drove away as fast as they could. There goes a ride out of here.

Mark put his hand on Eleanor's shoulder, making her jump slightly.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. Give me those." She said, pulled the headphones off of Mark's ears, and slipped them onto hers.

Mark sighed and went to the window again. He saw the woman on the ground, a crowd of walkers stumbling towards her. He closed the curtains quickly so he didn't have to see anything else. Eleanor didn't usually react to something like this. She had seen ten times worse, and still came home and made dinner as cheery as ever. Well, if you could call it cheery… it was more of an… endurance. What was different about this girl?

Mark wanted to ask, but he knew she needed time to herself, and went to the second bed in the room. He pulled the sheets over him, setting his glasses on the desk, and tried to sleep off the horrific event.

**Hope you enjoyed! I'll be working on writing more, soon.**

**Constructive Criticism is appreciated, just don't be TOO mean. ;)  
**


	2. Chapter 2: The Fight with Undead Pride

**Hello!**

**Finally finished second chapter! The more I write, the more excited I get for this! :D **

**Hope you enjoy this chap. It's a little boring, next one will not be as such. **

"Lee, Mark, Kenny, you three go out and see if you can hunt down some dinner for us." Lily ordered, handing a rifle to both Mark and Kenny.

"Lee, you can use your axe." She added.

Eleanor, who was listening in from outside, frowned deeply, and stormed in the room.

"You told me I'd be able to hunt next time. You lied." She snarled, and ripped the rifle from Mark's hands.

"Maybe I don't trust you." Lily snapped.

"And maybe I don't like the _idea_ if _you_ being our little 'leader'." Eleanor shot back.

"I gave the gun to Mark for a reason."

"Mark wouldn't be able to hit a target if it was two feet from his face."

"Enough! Fine, you take the gun, I wanted to work on that wall, anyway." Mark yelled, and left the room quickly.

Eleanor's scowl lifted at the sound of her brother's hissy fit. He's not one for fighting… when Eleanor joined the force, he was nearly devastated, until she had explained to him she's only trying to stop bad things from happening to good people.

'I guess now's not the time to be fighting with Lily…' the thought had crossed her mind quickly, before she could really think. She shook her head, realizing what she had just thought.

"Come on, lets go." She said, and trudged out of the room.

Kenny opened the gate for her and Lee, and once they were through closed it.

"You and the lady can head up the hill. I'll got this way." He said.

Both Lee and Eleanor nodded, and they split ways.

"You know, you should really start trying to get along with Lily." Lee said.

"You know, _you_ should really start minding your own business." Eleanor shot back.

"Just a thought." Lee said quietly.

They walked in silence for a little while longer, keeping an eye out for any rabbits or, if they were lucky, deer.

"What's it to you, anyway?" Eleanor asked.

"We're a group, we shouldn't be taking sides."

"She's a terrible leader."

"Things will only get worse if we start eating each-other."

Eleanor looked at the ground and sighed.

"I guess…" in the distance she spotted something in the grass, and she stopped Lee quickly.

"Sshh, hear that?" She asked.

Lee shook his head.

"Walker, right over there. You get him, let's not risk the noise." She whispered, pointing towards the walker.

Lee nodded, and slowly inched his way towards it.

In one motion he swung the axe clean through the walkers skull, and kicked him aside.

Eleanor came behind him and looked down at what the walker was eating.

"A rabbit… damn." She sighed.

"Another meal gone." Lee added, and the two continued walking.

"Can you believe we went through all that food in three months?" Lee asked.

"There is a lot of us, and we don't just sit around doing nothing." Eleanor said.

Lee looked down slightly, making Eleanor bite her lip.

"Still… it's a lot to go through." She added.

"It seemed like so much at the time." He said.

"Yeah… Mark would've wanted to stay put where we were, but I told him he was an idiot. Sooner or later you would've found us. It was safer greeting you when you came." Eleanor explained.

"I'm sure he has no regrets now." Lee added, making Eleanor chuckle.

"I think he's grown a liking to your girl." She said.

"Clem?"

"Yeah. She's all he ever talks about. Guess what Clem said, look at this drawing Clem made, blah blah blah." Eleanor groaned.

"Do you not like her?" Lee asked.

The first time Eleanor saw her, it was as if she had seen joy in a baseball cap. She'll never admit it, but that's the only reason she opened the door… she just couldn't sit there knowing that little girl was out there, with not hope.

But her pride always got the best of her, making her shrug her shoulders at Lee's question.

"She's alright, cute, for one thing." She said, then frowned slightly. 'Did I just say Clem was cute? How did that come out?'

Lee chuckled.

"Too bad that rabbit was walker food, she keeps going on about how hungry she is." Lee said in concern.

"A rabbit's hardly a meal. I'd take it, but we'll all starving." Eleanor said, trying not to be such a downer this time. Thinking about Clementine had made her spirit's go up… what was with that kid?

"Last night I heard your friend Doug naming different types of pies. I think he's going crazy, and if not, I am. The walls are so thin, I wouldn't be surprised if I could hear him from the other side of the inn." Eleanor grumbled.

"He's not the only one going crazy. Cut him some slack, won't you?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, I guess. We all handle starvation differently… I just wish Lily didn't take all the food."

"It was your food to begin with, why didn't you fight for it?"

"Mark… he hates it when I fight with Lily. But sometimes… I just can't stop myself. Her and her dad are seriously getting on my nerves."

"I know what you mean. Some aren't too happy about how Lily just snatched the rations the second you showed them to her."

"If Mark wasn't here, walkers would be the last thing she has to worry about."

There was a pause, and the conversation settled to a close.

"Do you think Kenny is having more luck than us right now?" Lee asked.

"Who knows. Hope so."

"He's thinking of getting that RV up and running. He thinks we can't stay at the motor inn forever."

"He's right. Soon they'll be nothing left for us there. What do you think?"

"I just want what's best for the kids, you know?"

Eleanor nodded her head in agreement. The last thing she wanted to see was Clementine in danger.

"To be honest, I'd like the kids to stay as far away from Larry as possible. The man is scary unpredictable. I thought he'd hate me more then anyone else, the way I fight with his daughter all the time, but seems to me he has a problem with you in particular." Eleanor explained.

"He's just a racist asshole." Lee chuckled, making Eleanor laugh.

"Or maybe he knows you and what you did."

"You know?"

"Lee, I was a cop before all this went down, of course I know you. And to be honest, I don't really care."

Lee smiled at Eleanor, and she smiled back.

"Heart problems or not, he should be out hunting with us. I know Lily think's he's getting weaker, but he's not. The guy's a brick wall… I wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with him angry. Didn't he punch you when you guys were running from your drug store?"

"He knocked me flat…"

The two of them looked up to see a crow perched on a tree branch, and they crouched at the same time.

Eleanor aimed at it quickly, holding her breathe.

"Don't risk the noise, it's just a crow." Lee mentioned.

Eleanor bit her lip, then breathed out, letting her rifle down.

"Right… good thinking. It's just Mark is getting weaker…"

"And you're getting hungrier." Lee called her out on her pride.

"Mark comes first."

Before Lee could say anything, a loud scream came from down the clearing, making the two look at each other again.

"Shit! You think that was Kenny?" Eleanor asked in hidden panic.

"No idea, lets go!" Lee replied, and the two of them ran towards the noise as fast as possible.

Eleanor sped past Lee, going straight towards the sound, almost leaving him behind.

Once Eleanor had reached the source of the sound her eye's widened.

A man was stuck in a bear trap, with two kids trying to get him out. Blood was everywhere, and the man was making quite a racket… good thing Mark wasn't with them.

"Oh shit!" The teen with the lighter hair exclaimed, making the dark hair teen look up.

"Are you from the school?" The darker haired teen asked.  
Eleanor frowned deeply.

'Maybe I should really start wearing my uniform…' Eleanor thought.

"What do you think?" She spat.

Just then, Lee and Kenny caught up, and quickly assessed the situation.

"Lee, are you alri-… Jesus Christ!" Kenny yelled in shock.

"Oh shit, no, please don't kill us! We just want to help our teacher! We'll leave, I swear!" The dark haired teen stuttered when the guys came.

"Oh, so you're scared now that the men are here?" Eleanor chocked.

"Not the time." Lee spat.

"Get it off! Get it off, god-damnit, get it off!" The man in the bear trap yelled.

"Travis, maybe they can help!" The light haired teen exclaimed.

"These might be the same guy's who raided our camp, and… we barely got away from that!" Travis yelled.

"What guys?" Lee asked.

"Why the fuck is there a bear trap in the woods?!" Kenny yelled.

"I don't know, man!" The light haired teen replied, his voice cracking.

"It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you. Just calm down…" Eleanor tried to calm the situation, but it was too late.

Walkers were on their way. They had to act fast.

"Don't listen to them, Ben. Please, just let us go! We're not a threat to you!"

Travis pleaded.

"Everybody, calm the fuck down, and shut the fuck up! Kid, we'll try to help you, but you gotta listen to us!" Eleanor shouted.

"PLEASE!" Ben said.

"Ben, shut up, my dad was Special Forces, I know what I'm doing." Travis said.

"And I'm a cop!" Eleanor yelled.

"Just see if you can get him out! After that, you can leave us or whatever, I don't care. Please!" Ben yelled.

"Was he bitten?" Lee asked.

"Bitten? No, I swear!" Ben answered.

"Hurry, please, hurry." The Teacher begged as Eleanor crouched next to him.

"We've got to move fast, walkers are coming." She mumbled.

"What?! How?!" The teacher asked in panic.

"Well, the yelling didn't help." She spat.

Quickly she realized the trap had been altered…

"Lee, the release latch has been broken off. See if you can get him out another way." She ordered, standing up.

The walkers were slowly making their way towards the group, causing more of panic.

"It's now or never, Lee." Kenny said, reading himself for a fight.

"Please! Get me out of this thing!" The teacher yelled.

"El, get the boys back, Kenny, keep those walkers off of me." Lee said, and crouched next to the teachers.

Eleanor glared at Travis and Ben, making them back off.

"No no no, try the trap again! Anything but that, please!" The teacher begged, making Eleanor turn around.

Once she did she saw Lee swinging the axe in the air, and letting it hit the teachers leg.

Her eye's widened, and she stiffened from the screams from the man.

"Jesus…" she whispered.

"Really, Lee?!" Kenny asked, shooting one of the walkers.

"There's no other way!" He yelled, hitting the mans leg yet again.

Eleanor shook her head, and turned back to the boys. Both of their face's were white as snow…

"Oh, don't you dare puke." She growled.

Lee hit the man again… then again… and after what seemed an eternity, he was finally out.

The teacher looked at his stump for a leg, and lost consciousness.

Travis and Ben looked over Lee's shoulder.

"Oh god…" Travis stuttered, and turned to puke.

"I told you not to…" Eleanor mumbled and looked over Lee's shoulder as well.

She looked down at her rifle, and realized her hands were shaking violently, and her breathe was quick and shallow.

"Shit… is he?" Ben began.

"He passed out." Lee said.

"If he's alive, grab him and lets go." Kenny ordered.

Lee went for the body, but Eleanor pushed him out of the way and swung the teach over her shoulder quickly.

She needed to prove to herself she wasn't useless right now…

"Behind you!" She heard Lee shout from behind her, but there was no time to turn back.

'Probably Travis…. I told him not to puke."

"Travis!" Ben yelled.

"Come on, we gotta go!" Lee shouted back.

Then the sounds of rotten teeth piercing through living flesh filled the air, making Eleanor's pace quicken.

"No!" Ben yelled.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Eleanor moved as fast as her legs could take her, but the fact that she was caring a middle aged half dead man made it pretty difficult.

"Ken?" She asked.

"What?" Kenny replied shortly.

"Lily's not gonna be happy about this…" She mentioned.

There was silence as they moved as quick as they could back to the motor inn.

Eleanor sighed in relief as the sign went into view, and the four of them emerged from the trees quickly.

"Open the gates! We've got wounded!" Lee yelled.

"Come on, come on!" Kenny pleaded, trying to get them inside and out of the open.

Doug ran to the dumpsters and pulled them open, with Lee helping him.

Eleanor walked through as fast as she could when it was open, sending an explosion of words, and spread panic through the group.

"Oh my god!"

"What happened?"

"Lee, are you okay?"

"Get him into the truck, I'll see what I can do, okay?"

Eleanor flopped the teacher on the tailgate… she knew he was gone, but she couldn't get a word in through all the panic.

"Kat, can you fix him?"

"Jesus Ken, I… I don't know!"

"El, are you alright?"

Mark's voice pierced the panic in Eleanor, and she turned to him.

"Lee! Lee!" Lily yelled, sending silence on the group.

She put her hand on his shoulder, and the two nodded.

"What the hell?! You can't just be bringing new people here! What are you thinking?!" Lily snapped.

"Hey, you wonna calm down for a fuckin' minute-" Kenny started.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Larry stated.

"No, I don't! I want to know why you thought bringing more mouths to feed was a good idea!" Lily yelled over her father's words.

"I thought I could save his life! I'm the one who took his leg! That makes me responsible!" Lee defended.

"Well, that was a stupid thing to do!" Larry said, making Eleanor turn to the scene.

She wanted to stay out of this, for Mark's sake… but she just couldn't.

"We are NOT responsible for every struggling survivor we come across. WE have to focus on OUR group, right here, right now!" Lily stated loudly.

"Come on Lily, these are people! People trying to survive just like us. We've got to stick together to survive!" Mark perked up.

'Maybe he wouldn't mind if…'

"The only reason you and your sister are here is because you had food. Enough for ALL of us. But that food is almost gone, we've got maybe a weeks worth left. I don't suppose you're carrying any groceries?" Lily asked Ben.

"Um, no." Ben murmured.

"Hold up, missy! We could have snuck out through the back, WITH our food, and left you without any to begin with! But we chose to share it with you! How would you have liked it if we had just ignored you?" Eleanor defended herself, and Mark.

"You guys fight it out, I don't want to be a part of this. Welcome to the family, kid." Mark, exhausted from all the fighting, stormed off.

Eleanor watched him leave, guilt seeping into her slowly.

It wasn't her fault… this group is just getting crazy.

"Come over here and see what I drew." She heard Clem's voice, making her relax.

She turned to see Clem grabbing Ben's hand, and pulling him towards her area.

"What? No-I…" Ben stammered.

"Just come on, okay?" Clem said, and dragged him off.

Eleanor smiled at her. What a wise kid.

"You know, you like to think you're the leader of this little group, but we can make our own god-damn decisions! This isn't your own… personal dictatorship." Kenny came with in inches of Lily, staring her down coldly.

"Hey, I didn't ask to be the leader of this group! Everyone was happy when I was distributing the food when there was enough to go around, but now that's it's running out, suddenly I'm a god-damn nazi!" Lily explained.

"Nobody asked _you_ to be in charge, you took the food without question. We thought you were just being nice. Turns out you have a power complex…" Eleanor said. Lily looked at her as if she was about to punch her, but Lee interrupted.

"It doesn't matter who's in charge. Those people are here now. I guess we have to decide what happens next." Lee tried to reason with the group.

"No Lee, it DOES matter! One person can't be in charge of EVERYTHING. You know, it might feel safe for you to sit on the fence. But sooner or later, you're gonna have to decide whose side you're on." Kenny argued, and with that turned away. There was a tense silence, and Eleanor shared a worried glance with Lee.

She turned away, and walked towards her and Marks room.

"I don't see any of you stepping up to make the hard decisions. My girls got more ball's then all of you combined." Larry said.

"Dad, please. Why don't you go lay down a bit?" Lily suggested.

That was all Eleanor could hear, until she reached her room. She opened the door to see Mark sitting on the bed, her headphone's over his ears, and his hands folded over his stomach… just how she was before all of this happened.

She slowly made her way towards him, and sat on the bed next to him softly.

"I'm sorry…" She started, her shoulder's sagging slightly.

Mark mustn't have been listening to any music, because he sat up and moved next to her.

"You've got to start trying to get along with them, no matter how hard it is sometimes. We're… like a family now. We need to stick together." Mark said.

"It's so hard sometimes… it seems no matter what, they just always fight." Eleanor pleaded.

"I know, El, I know…" Mark said, and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Just promise me you'll try to stand up for them when they need you."

Eleanor nodded.

"I promise, Mark." She said, placing her hand on his.

**Constructive criticism is appreciated, just don't be TOO mean! :D **


	3. Chapter 3: Killers of Speach and Hope

**Hello!**

**So, I decided to post a chap each Friday of this fan-fic. In my DW fan fic, it's all kinda random because Elvira and I have such different schedules. So I thought, why not have some organizing in this one? :D**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN, AND WILL NEVER OWN ANYTHING FROM 'WALKING DEAD' **

_Eleanor hugged her knees to her chest tightly. She had moved the chair to the window and was looking out at the quite night. All the walkers that had come from the gunshot were now gone, attracted by some other noise that was in the distance. All that was left were all the walkers those people killed, and the woman in the middle of the tarmac. _

_Her headphones were still over her head as she tried to shake away the feeling that was raising inside her._

_She couldn't think of him… not now. That look the woman had… it was exactly the same he had just before he… _

_She was torn out of her thoughts when a truck pulled in, and behind it a pizza delivery car. _

_A man in a white fisherman shirt with a hat jumped out of the truck, along with a blonde woman, and a kid… a small boy. Right behind them was a man who had a large bag over his shoulder._

_The man in blue stepped out of the car, and behind him was a small little girl… kids! Two kids! The little girl nearly took Eleanor's breath away. Even just looking at her was like a breath of fresh air. They looked like they needed help… _

"_Mark, Mark wake up!" Eleanor shook Mark awake roughly, and he woke up slowly._

"_What, what is it?" He asked sleepily._

"_It's those guys from before. They brought more people, kid's even. I think they're setting up to stay here." She announced._

"_Oh shit, what are we going to do?" Mark asked._

_Eleanor looked at their food supplies, box's and box's of food, way more them what they needed._

"_We can give them food in exchange for protection." She announced, and made her way to the door._

"_What are you going to say? Hey, you're on my property, but you can stay cause I have food?" Mark asked._

"_That's the plan." She said. She made sure her gun was in her belt before opening the door and walking out._

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Mark and Eleanor decided to work more on fortifying the wall. It was a good idea, in case any walkers decided to give them a visit.

"You think you're gonna tell anybody about your past?" Mart asked out of the blue.

"What?" Eleanor asked.

"It's a pretty important part of you… I mean, what if somebody asked how your hair is so blue, or why you don't dye it? Or why you joined the police force?"

"They already have."

"El…"

"What?"

"What did you say to them?"

"I said to mind they're own business."

"El!"

"Well, what was I supposed to say?"

"Tell them why!"

There was a bit of a silence as the conversation came to a bitter close.

Eleanor had a pretty terrible past… but she knew everyone else's past in the group, maybe it was just fair she told them.

"How do you like Clementine?" Mark asked suddenly. Eleanor smirked.

"Why do you ask?"

"It's just… her hat's missing. I'm worried, but this wall is a two person job, now." Mark explained.

"I'll help you." Larry snapped from behind them, startling the two siblings.

"Alright, just hold this board here, Larry. I'm gonna go check on Clem." Eleanor said.

Mark smirked at her "Clem?"

Eleanor swallowed deep, realizing what she had just said.

"Yeah… that's what Lee calls her…" She mumbled, backing away slightly.  
Mark chuckled, and got to work with Larry.

Eleanor turned around quickly, shaking her head. She needs to spend less time with Lee…

"Hey, El." Lee said, startling Eleanor again.

She rubbed her neck awkwardly, 'what is it with people scaring me today?'

"Hey, Lee. What's up?" She asked.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm handling the food rations today. How are you feeling?" He asked.

Eleanor's eye's lifted, and she smiled.

"I'm great! But Mark is getting weaker, go give him some stuff, will yah?" She asked.

"You sure?" Lee asked in suspicion.

"Never been so sure. Now go." She said, and pushed him towards Mark and Larry.

Once she had reached where Clementine was, she paused, and took a breathe before continuing.

"Hey… Clem… Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked.

Clementine nodded her head, and walked up to Eleanor.

"What is it?" She asked.

Eleanor couldn't help but smile down at the little girl… she was such a breathe of fresh air…

"M-Mark and I are wondering… what happened to your hat?" She asked nervously.

"I don't know, it just went missing. Lee told me he'll help me find it." Clementine explained.

"I promise, I won't let anything happen to your hat. It's your trade-mark." Eleanor said.

'D-did I just say that?'

"Like your blue hair!" Clementine said, smiling widely.

Eleanor laughed "Yes, like my blue hair." She repeated.

"Thanks, El! You're the best!" Clementine exclaimed, and wrapped her arms around Eleanor's legs happily.

Eleanor nearly gasped, then patted Clementine's back as gently as she could.

She could get used to this kid…

"Not such an easy job, is it?" Lily asked, making Eleanor look up. She was talking to Lee, who had just given out the last of the food rations.

Eleanor crouched down next to Clementine.

"Did Lee give you any food?" She asked calmly, trying to distract her from Lee.

"Yes, he gave me cheese and crackers. They were good." Clementine explained.

"Good, cheese and crackers are... good" Eleanor said, patting Clementine's shoulder gently.

"Hey, thanks for looking out for me and my family. I'm serious about that offer to come with us. You've more than earned a ride on the RV with me." Kenny explained to Lee.

He must've fed Duck and Kenny…

"Will El come, too?" Clementine asked, making Eleanor turn to look at Kenny quickly.

"Eerr, um…" Kenny stuttered.

"Wherever Lee goes, I go, and wherever I go, she comes, too." Clementine perked up.

"Uum." Eleanor mumbled, but nobody seemed to hear her.

"Alright, but it depends one what Eleanor wants. Mark comes with her, remember?" Kenny asked.

"She thinks leaving is a good idea." Lee answered Kenny's question for her.

"Can't I get a word in?" Eleanor asked. Everyone looked at her in silence, and she stuttered awkwardly.

"Uh… yeah, staying here isn't such a good idea." She said.

"Then it's settled. Where that RV goes, El come's, too." Kenny said, mainly to Clementine.

"Yay!" Clementine chimed happily.

"Still, I guess some people aren't going to be happy with your choices." Kenny added.

"You're out? What happened to _my_ food?" Larry stormed in.

"There's none left." Lee said as Eleanor stood up.

"Go play with Duck." She whispered, and Clementine nodded her head.

"You keep treating people like this, and your days in this group are numbered." Larry threatened.

"You're one to talk, old man." Kenny spat.

"Yeah? Well I don't see _you_ working on that wall!" and with that Larry turned away, leaving Eleanor holding her tongue.

He didn't say anything to her… maybe he didn't hate her.

Kenny shook his head, and went back to the couch underneath the RV cover.

"You were quite during that." Lee nudged Eleanor's arm gently.

"I promised Mark I would try to get along with everyone, no matter how angry they make me." Eleanor explained.

"You must really love him."

"I do. He's the only family I have left, now…"

"Where are your parents?"

"They liked to travel. Last I heard, they were in Africa… I have no idea if their safe or not."

Lee nodded his head, letting Eleanor know he was there for her.

"Ken! Lee! El! Come here, please." Katjaa yelled.

The three of them walked towards the truck…

"He didn't make it, did he?" Kenny asked.

"He… lost too much blood." Katjaa said as calmly as she could.

Eleanor looked to the ground sadly. She knew he wouldn't make it, but death still had a grip on her…. Why?

She never really cared about death usually…

"Aaww shit…" She sighed.

"God dammit! I'm getting sick of this shit!" Kenny exclaimed, storming off and kicking a can out of his way angrily.

"Ken, come back, there's nothi-" Katjaa started.

"Let him go, Katjaa." Lee said.

"But…"

"He just needs time. It's been a rough morning."

"You could say _that_ again." Eleanor snorted.

"That man you brought… I tried… but he was never going to make it." Katjaa said sadly.

"Yeah I figured." Eleanor said.

"At least he's not our problem anymore." Lee said.

Katjaa looked sadly over to Ben, who was sitting with the kids. He looked like a lost lamb…

"What about the other kid?" Katjaa asked.

Before either of them could say anything, the man in the back grabbed Katjaa from behind.

"Shit! Katjaa!" Lee screamed, and the two of them rushed to pry the walker from Katjaa.

"Whoa! Fuck, dude, get him off!" Eleanor screamed, pulling Katjaa away from the walker.

Lee pushed the walker against the other side of the tailgate, and Eleanor grabbed Katjaa and pulled her away from the scene.

"The axe, hurry!" Lee screamed, then was pulled violently by the walker.

"Sit here, and try to breath." Eleanor told Katjaa, and turned to Lee.

"Mark!" she yelled as Lee banged the walker's head on the side of the tail-gate.

"Move! Move!" Mark shouted once he was close enough.

He swung the axe as hard as he could, but he was too slow. The walker slid slightly, dodging the axe entirely as it went flying into the back window, and got lodged there.

"Shit, it's stuck!" Mark yelled.

"Dammit, Mark!" Eleanor screamed, and ran as fast as she could to her room to grab her pistol.

When she came back, Lee was on the ground with the walker still on top of him. Lee had burrowed his thumbs into the walkers eye's in a disparate act to stop him.

'Ugh, everyone is so useless!' Eleanor thought, and pointed the gun and shot the walker straight in the head.

Lee pushed him off and gasped for air.

"Jesus… thanks." He said.

"No problem…gotta watch each other's backs, right?" Eleanor said.

"Why did you bring him here in the first place, asshole!?" Larry blasted as Eleanor helped Lee up.

"Dad, calm down." Lily said, trying to stay as gentle as she could.

"You're gonna get us ALL killed!" Larry continued as if Lily hadn't said anything.

"YOU said he wasn't bitten!" Kenny barked at Ben, turning away from Katjaa, who was recovering slowly.

"What?!" Ben asked in shock.

"We asked you point blank was he bitten, and you said 'no'!"

"He wasn't!"

"Well, your 'not-bitten' friend here came back to life, and tried to kill my wife!"

"What!? Wait… y'all don't know?" Ben asked, making everyone stand up and turn to him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kenny asked angrily.

Ben took a few seconds to find his words.

"It's not the bite that does it." He started to explain. He looked around at everyone slowly, then continued. "You come back no matter how you die. If you don't destroy the brain, that's just what happens. It's gonna happen to all of us."

There was a large pause

"Y-You're lying…" Eleanor stuttered nervously.

"It's true… I swear it." Ben said.

After all her years on the force, Eleanor could tell if somebody was telling the truth… he was. She just didn't want to admit it.

"We're all infected? All of us?" Lee asked.

"I-I guess. I don't know… All I know is that I've seen people turn who I _know_ weren't bitten. When I first saw it happen we were all hiding out in the gym, and everyone thought we were finally safe. But one of the girls, Jenny Pitcher I think… I guess she couldn't take it. She took some pills… a lot of them. Someone went in the girls room the next morning, and… God…" He trailed off.

"… He's right. I didn't see any bites. And that would explain why there are so many of them." Katjaa explained.

"Jesus Christ… if you just DIE, and that's all it takes, then shit one fatal car wreck and a family of five turns into a family of walkers…" Kenny trailed off.

Suddenly Dougs alarm system chimed up, and everyone ducked quickly.

"Doug! It works!" Mark whispered, smiling up at Doug.

"Of course it works, I told you!" Doug whispered back.

"Shh." Eleanor shushed the two.

"Shit. Where'd this come from?" Came a voice.

"Watch where you're walking, man." Came another.

"Who are those people?" Lily asked Ben harshly.

"I-I don't know!" Ben replied.

"Are they the people who raided your camp?" Lee asked.

"I don't think so. They all had their face's covered, so I don't know." Ben replied, calmer now.

"There's just two of them. We need to take a stand." Kenny whispered harshly, a rifle in his hand.

"No, we have a routine, we don't confront them if we don't need to." Lily whispered.

Mark came up with his rifle as well, getting ready for a fight.

"You all right?" Came the second voice.

"Yeah, just getting untangled." The first man replied.

"I don't know how you're still alive, man."

"Sorry, Lily. We gotta do this." Kenny whispered, and stood up, pointing the at the two intruders.

Mark and Eleanor stood up at the same time, and pointed their guns at them as well quickly.

"That's far enough!" Kenny said sternly.

"Whoa, shit! Okay, okay… no problem." One of the men exclaimed.

"You're outnumbered here. Just turn around and go back." Eleanor warned.

"She means, we don't want any trouble." Lee corrected.

"Oh, well, yeah, of course! Neither do we. I'm Andy St. John. This here's my brother, Dan. We're just out looking for gasoline. Looks like you guys have this place locked down, and that's fine, but if you could spare some gas we'd be much obliged." Andy explained.

Lily glanced at Lee nervously.

"What do you need gas for?" She asked.

"Our place is protected by an electric fence. Generators provide the electricity… Our generators run on gas. Look, we own a dairy just up the road, if ya'll be willing to lower your guns, we can talk some kind of a trade." Andy explained.

"How y'all doing on food? We've got plenty at the dairy." Dan added.

"Lee, why don't you and Mark go and check the place out, see if it's legit." Lily said.

"I'll go to, improve the number's incase we meet anything dead on the way." Doug said.

"I'll go, too." Eleanor said.

"So uh… what are ya'll thinking?" Andy asked.

"You've got a deal. We'll being SOME gas to your dairy. In exchange, you give us some food to bring back. We'll see how it goes from there." Lee said.

Andy smiled from behind the fence.

"Sounds fair. A couple gallons should power our generator's for a while." Andy said.

Eleanor shared a quick glance at Mark, and he smiled at her.

'Well… if they have food…'

**Thank you for the read! Review if you like, constructive criticism is appreciate, just don't be TOO mean. ;) **


	4. Chapter 4: Journey To An Eiry Heaven

**Hello!**

**I am sorry I didn't post this yesterday... I was a little sick. :( **

**So, Easter tomorrow! I'm syced... I have some epic plans for my family. It may involve an easter egg hunt, level expert. ^_^ **

**Hope you enjoy this shorter chap! :D**

**(btw, I have become obsessed with the show now, and I just finished season 1... holy shit.)**

**I DO NOT OWN 'THE WALKING DEAD'**

"So, this dairy. Do you guys really have food?" Mark asked as seven of them made their way down the road. Lee, Doug and Eleanor wavered at the back, while Mark, Ben, Danny and Andy walked in front.

"Sure do. We've lost most of the cattle, but we still got lots of milk, butter and cheese stocked up." Andy explained happily.

"And with the vegetable's we grow, we've got plenty of food." Danny added.

There was something… odd about these brothers. How they acted, or how they just showed up out of the blue with an empty canteen, asking for gas. And how they're offering the group food… it was too nice…

'What am I thinking? Who am I to judge a nice family just offering food to a group in need?' Eleanor thought. But no matter how hard she would try to talk herself into not being suspicious, the more she grew it.

"Thanks for coming along, Doug." Lee said, breaking Eleanor from her thoughts.

"Sure. I'd like to get a look at the electric fence they got. It might give me some idea's for something I could rig up at the motor inn." Doug explained.

"Can an electric fence really stop walkers?" Lee asked.

"I think so…" Eleanor said.

"As long as the walkers aren't completely dehydrated, and the fence has enough juice, sure… seems plausible. The electricity basically cooks you from the inside out, right?" Doug turned to ask Lee, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess so…" Lee mumbled.

"So if a walker stays in contact with the fence, it would eventually cook it's brain. Probably takes a while, though… and that can't be a good smell…unless it smells like jerky… man I could go for some jerky. I shouldn't have turned down that offer." Doug rambled on, making Lee chuckle.

"Hehe…That is one runaway train of thought." Lee giggled.

"Hehe, sorry." Doug chuckled.

Eleanor noticed something in Doug's hand, and suddenly became curious.

"What've you got there, Doug?" She asked.

"Oh. Nothing. Just a laser pointer I picked up after our last trip to the drugstore." Doug said.

"I mean, thank God Lee came when he did! Right, Lee?" Mark exclaimed.

"Yeah, why don't you tell us more about yourself, Lee?" Andy asked.

Lee walked in between the two St. John's brothers, leaving Eleanor and Doug to walk next to each other.

"So, Lee offered you food?" Eleanor asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, he offered jerky… I said no. He saved my life in that drugstore… I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay him." Doug explained.

"That girl… that… reporter… Lee never said what happened to her… why he didn't save her, as well."

"We both needed him… and when I asked why he picked me, he said he didn't… sometimes I just wish he had picked Carley instead."

"Carley?"

"Yeah, that was her name. She was great… good with a gun, pretty… not so smart, though."

Eleanor chuckled.

"Can't have it all, can we?"

"Ya'll seem settled in that motor-inn. Who's running things over there?" Andy asked, making both Doug and Eleanor curious as to how Lee was going to answer.

He hesitated slightly, but answered the question as serious as he could.

"We work as a group. All of us looking out for each-other." He explained.

"I hear that. There are so many dumbasses out there fighting each other these days… it's just stupid." Andy said.

"How many you got over there?" Danny asked.

"Well, the kid here is our newest arrival, but we're all looking forward to some food. We really need it." Lee said.

Doug looked down at his stomach in hurt. Eleanor rolled her eye's. He should've gotten that food Lee offered while it was there. Who did he give that jerky to, anyway? Maybe Mark knows…

"Well, here's to helping each other out! Well. We'd like to get you ALL to the dairy. Like I said, we've got plenty of food, and quite frankly, we could always use an extra helping hand." Andy explained.

"In the summers, I used to help out on a goat farm." Ben perked up from the front with Mark.

"Yeah, that's great. Everything helps!" Danny said.

"Momma's been running the diary for… as long as I can remember. But now it's getting-" Before Andy could finish his sentence some men started arguing violently… it sounded pretty close.

"You think you're gonna cut me out of this?" the voice came loud and clear.

"Shit, get down!" Andy whispered. The group crouched down quickly, not knowing what they were hiding from. Everyone inched towards a hill, and just over it were two hooded men.

"No ones trying to cut you out of anything." The other man defended himself quickly.

"You and Gary are always…" The first man started, but Eleanor got distracted by Danny. "Fuckin' bandits." He whispered.

"Who?" Doug asked.

"Those look like the people who raided my camp." Ben whispered.

"Who are they?" Lee asked.

"Shh. Fuckin' assholes is who they are." Andy shushed, and looked back at the group.

'They must've hit the St. Johns…'

"What should we do?" Doug asked.

"Yeah, you know what? We ate it all! What are you going to do about it?" The second man shouted.

"Don't worry. Danny and I got you covered if anything happens, but lets just wait this out and hope they move on." Andy said.

'If they step out of line, some diary farmers aren't what they'll have to worry about.'

Suddenly the first man kicked the second man in the chest, making him stumble back, and shot him ruthlessly.

"Fuck you!" He yelled as the man fell to the ground.

"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!" The man kept yelling, as he continued to shoot the man who was already dead on the ground.

"Oh shit…" Doug whispered.

The bandit slurred one more curse word at the man he had just murdered, and walked away.

"The world out here is gone to shit. Come on, lets get to the diary where it's safe." Andy said.

"Sounds good…" Mark whispered.

Eleanor debated running over and taking the mans gun, but thought against it incase any other bandit's were around.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The group arrived at the diary after a little bit of a walk from the motor inn… but it was worth it.

The sky was the most blue Eleanor had seen for a while, tree's for as far as the eye could see surrounded the property, their golden-brown leaves, the grass was so green it looked like it was glowing… It was beautiful. The birds chirped on, as if the rest of the world wasn't going into ruins.

She saw the fences that they were talking about… she could hear the electric hum from where she was.

There was a large house on top of a small hill, and next to it was a barn.

"Eleanor, this is amazing." Mark whispered to her.

"I know." She whispered back, and looked around suspiciously. 'There has to be something they're hiding from us…'

"Here it is, the Saint John's family Diary." Andy started, and noticed Mark and Eleanor looking at the electric fences, and chuckled.

"Y'all can see how we kept this place so safe." He added, and continued walking to the large house on the top of the hill.

Doug crouched next to the fence, looking at it curiously.

"The fence keeps them out?" He asked.

"You betcha. They fry like bugs on a zapper." Andy chuckled again. "We're pushing 4000 volts through that thing, with generators and amps."

"Oh wow… you guys must know a thing or two about running wire." Doug said.

"Had a guy who did, yeah." Danny said.

In the distance you could see a larger woman sitting at one of the windows, her eyebrow's raising slightly as she saw the group coming up the walk-way.

Eleanor squinted her eyes to see the lady at first, but she was gone before she could get a better look at her.

"This is a really brilliant set up." Mark started.

"But we've got kids in our group… I don't think it'll be safe keeping them around a lethal fence." Lee added.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We've got plenty to keep them entertained." Andy explained.

Eleanor frowned slightly, and wavered her glance slightly, where her eyes caught sight of a broken swing.

After a shared glance with Mark, she knew he saw the same thing.

"Oh wow! You've got enough electricity to run the whole place!" Doug marveled at the technology.

The door opened to the front of the house, and the larger woman walked out, holding a basket of something…

Her hair was red, and her facial expression didn't show many wrinkles… she looked relaxed…

"It's worth protecting, hence all the juice." Andy said as the woman made her way down to the group.

"I thought I saw y'all with company coming down the drive!" She exclaimed, smiling smugly at everyone.

Maybe she was just well fed… all of them, were. Not nearly as skinny as the people in the motor inn. Maybe this'll be good for them…

"Guys, this is our mama." Andy said happily.

"I'm Brenda St. John, and welcome to the St. John's diary." She introduced herself with a large smile, and with an impeccable pleasant sounding voice. Hence the accent…

'They're too nice…' Eleanor thought. 'They must be up to something…' Her mind raced back to a movie she saw a long time ago, The Book Of Eli. There was a scene like this. An overly nice elderly couple, offering food to a small group. She couldn't quite remember what their deal was… but she got the feeling it wasn't anything good.

"This here is Lee. He moves around a lot, but with things the way they are, maybe we can convince him to stick around for a while." Andy explained.

"They've got a few more friends staying at the old motel." Danny added.

An expression of actual concern flashed across Brenda's face as she looked back at the group.

"My goodness, that place is pretty vulnerable. Have you got somebody with survival experience to lead your group?" She asked.

"We all work together. Plus, we've got plenty of people with military experience." Lee explained.

Eleanor smirked slightly…

"Well, that's good to hear. That motel ain't the safest place. Now that y'all are here, we'll make sure you're safe and comfortable." Brenda said.

"We're all extremely hungry." Eleanor mentioned, trying to keep her suspicions out of her tone. She needed food soon… Walking on an empty stomach proved to be a tremendous task, despite her effort to not show just how starved she was.

"These are for y'all. Baked fresh this morning." Brenda said, holding up the basket she had. It was full of fresh biscuits. The scent of them hit Eleanor swiftly, making her mouth almost water.

"Holy moly!" Doug proclaimed, as he grabbed one from the basket.  
Eleanor took two, handed one to Mark, and had the other for herself.

The three of them started munching down on the new food, incredibly grateful to have something to be chewing on.

Mark grabbed another, and before he took a bite out of it he looked at it carefully, then looked at Lee.

"Have one." He said. Lee nodded his head, and took it almost gingerly. But his hunger got the best of him as well.

The St. John family laughed at them, as Ben reach over to take a biscuit as well. They looked like they hadn't eaten for months… which was almost true.

"Can't get stuff like that anymore, not without a cow for milk and butter, that's for sure." Danny explained.

"That's right. Hopefully Maybelle can make it through bout of whatever she's got and be with us for a good, long while." Brenda said.

"Your cow is sick? What's she-" Eleanor started, but Mark jumped up in front of her.

"We've got a vet! We can bring her here! We can help you folks out." He piped up.

'Mark…' Eleanor thought. He was pushing it…

"A vet! Oh my! Our prayers have been answered!" Brenda exclaimed.

"Maybe our whole group could come! For the day!" Mark added again.

Doug and Lee both shared a worried glance, and Eleanor frowned deeply.

'Sure, they fed us, but there was something very odd about this place…'

"Well how about this. Y'all go get your veterinarian friend, I'll prepare some dinner. A big feast for all you hungry souls. It'll be nice to have some folks to help out around here again. Danny, why don't you come up and help me out in the kitchen?" Brenda asked, and the two of them walked up to the house together.

"Why don't I head back with the food and round up everyone for the trip back here." Doug said.

"Might wonna take someone with you. Remember, those roads can be dangerous." Andy said.

Doug glanced quickly at Eleanor, who scowled at him, then he turned away.

Mark elbowed Eleanor's rib cage roughly, making her jump to the side slightly, and shared a rough stare with her brother.

"No problem. Ben can come with me." Doug said, turning to Ben, who nodded his head, shocked Doug would want him to tag along.

"Take this." Mark said, turning to Doug and handing him his rifle.

'Mark! What the hell are you thinking?!' Eleanor thought angrily.

Doug took the gun and put it on his back, nodding his head.

"Alright, see you later." He said, and him and Ben walked down the drive, and away from the diary.

"How about you three just take a look around. Once you're settled in, I could use your help to secure the perimeter." Andy said.

"Is there a problem?" Lee asked.

"Sometimes, the dead get caught in the fence before they fry and end up knocking over a post. It's be a big help if you guys could walk the perimeter. And you can learn a little something about our fence. I'm gonna go top off the generators before they run dry. Come and get me when you're ready" Andy explained, and turned to the generators.

"You betcha." Mark said happily, and turned to Eleanor and Lee.

"This place is _incredible_! They've got food, and that fence? Oh man, that fence! If we play our cards right, this might turn out to be a place we can stay. So how do we wonna play this?" Mark asked.

"Before we can think about bringing our whole group here to stay, we need to figure out if this place is as safe as they're telling us.

"Right… I mean, obviously they think it's safe, but is it safe enough for the kids?" Mark asked.

"Mark and I noticed that broken swing over there… not a really big deal, but maybe there are other things around here that aren't working that we just can't see." Eleanor concluded.

"And checking the fence perimeter sounds like a decent way to get a good look at their defenses." Lee said.

"Alright. I'll keep my eye's open, and you find out what you can from these people." Mark said.

Lee nodded his head, and Eleanor took a quick look at the swing.

What if she were to fix that thing by herself…

She walked over to the place where Andy was, and looked around for some tools.

She found a long board, and a saw… 'that'll do just fine.'

"Andy… you don't mind if I use these for a second, do you?" She asked.

"Not a problem at all. Already making some repairs?" He asked.

"Uh… yeah. I think that swing would be nice for the kids." She said, picking up the board and placing it on the rack.

"Oh yeah, people loved that thing…. So um… tell me more about yourself." Andy said awkwardly.

Eleanor was tempting to snap at him… then remember Mark.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"Where are you from?"

"I was born in Macon, and moved to Atlanta for… medical reasons. But, after that was over and done with, I stayed in Atlanta and my family moved back to Macon." Eleanor explained.

"Why did you stay in Atlanta?"

"I joined the police force."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. I was with them for a good long while. I stayed in contact with Mark and my parents… they got old and decided to start travelling, leaving mark alone with the Motel. He wasn't doing to well, so I decided to join the Macon police force so I can be closer to him. I was visiting him the day this all went down…" Eleanor could barely believe she had just told this… man part of her story.

"You really care for you brother, don't you?" Andy asked.

Eleanor tightened her grip on the board she had just cut…

"Yes. Nobody fucks with him." She said sternly.

Andy nodded his head slowly.

"Well, nice chatting with you. There's rope up one the porch." And with that, the conversation was over.

Eleanor looked up at the porch. Her new goal was to get that swing fixed before Clementine gets there... if she does.

She hoped that her hunches were wrong about this place...

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't get TOO sick from all the chocolate tomorrow ;) **

**Constructive Criticism is appreciated, just don't be TOO harsh! :D **


	5. Chapter 5: Arrow's, Morphine and Dinner

**Yeah! Posted on time! :D I'm so proud of myself!**

**So... pretty grim ending on this chapter. Soon this whole episode will be done. That sure went fast...**

**Anyway, hope you like it! **

**(btw, just started season 3 of 'the walking dead' and I'm kinda hating Rick right now... is that bad?) **

**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM 'THE WALKING DEAD'**

Eleanor stepped back and admired her work on the swing. Aside from the different colored ropes, and one side of the wooden board was slightly rough from the cutting, it looked good as new.

Perfect for Clementine…. And Duck.

"El." Lee said, walking up to her, and smiled at the swing. "You fixed it."

"Yeah. It was easy. So, what's up?" Eleanor asked.

"You ready to walk the perimeter?" He asked.

"Yup, lets go get Mark." Eleanor said.

The two walked up to him, and Mark nodded.

"We ready?" He asked.

"Yup, lets go." Lee said, and turned around towards Andy, who had walked towards them.

"We're ready to secure your perimeter now." He said.

"Oh good. The fence stops the walkers in about three or four seconds, but get's overloaded if we leave the husks out there." Andy explained.

"You know, the three of us can clear the fence ourselves if you want to stay here and finish up with the generators." Lee added.

"Yeah, that'd be great! I'll turn off the northwest section, and if you guys could strip 'em off and look for any weak points, that'd be a big help." Andy said.

"Sounds easy enough." Eleanor said.

"Stay attentive, ya never know." Andy said, his facial expression suddenly growing dark. Lee nodded his head, and Mark got the front gate open.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The three of them walked down the fence, enjoying the view more so than actually looking for bodies to push off.

"So how's the place looking? Is it safe enough for us to stay… if we can?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing what they've done with this dairy. But lets see what it takes to secure this fence before drawing any conclusions." Lee said.

"I can't wait till everyone's out here. Everyone except Larry." Mark said.

"Why the hell did you tell him I thought he was a racist?" Lee asked defensively .

"Mark!" Eleanor elbowed Mark in the ribs sharply. "You told him?"

"If tensions weren't high enough…" Lee mumbled.

"Sorry, man… it just popped out. I mean, you DID admit it right to his face." Mark added.

"I try to be civil at least." Lee shot back.

"He's too busy being cranky to notice." Mark said.

In the distance was a walker stuck to the fence, a crow picking at it's rotten flesh. It flew away when they approached the scene.

"There's one." Mark said, eyeing the rotting carcass suspiciously.

It was burnt to a crisp… no way it was coming back.

Lee stood over the body for a little while, scrunching his nose in disgust, and kicked it's leg cautiously.

"Lee… it's dead." Eleanor said.

"Come on, lets push it off." Lee said, pulling the arrow from the walkers head.

"Wonder were that came from." Eleanor wondered out loud.

"Bandits?" Mark suggested.

"Maybe." Eleanor replied.

Lee pulled his axe from his back, debating how to do this.

"Andy said when this fence is working, those walkers go out like a tree branch on a power line. If those lights are off that means that the fence is off, right?" Mark asked.

"Well, means their not gonna hurt us." Eleanor said.

Lee nudged the walker off the fence, and it fell to the ground with a thump.

The three kept walking.

"Once this place is patched up, this place will be a fortress! God, could you imagine not having to worry about the walkers anymore?" Mark asked, looking happily into the distance.

"Yeah, well it's useless without gas. We might need food, but the St. Johns need gas too." Lee explained.

"Not many drivers these days, Lee. We could scrounge up a years worth of gas, easy." Mark reflected.

"So, what's your take on the brothers. They seem to have this place tide down.." He asked.

"We have enough people to take this place with force if needed." Lee mentioned.

Eleanor smirked, liking the idea.

"Whoa, you're sounding like Kenny." Mark huffed.

"There's another one." Eleanor mumbled.

"I see it." Mark said.

Lee used his axe to push the walker's dead body away from the fence, but the hands seemed to be singed on good. It stayed slumped, still attached to the fence.

Lee sighed and swung his axe at it's hands, cutting it down.

"Never get used to the smell, do you?" Mark asked, staring down at the corpse.

"Ha. Nope." Lee said, and they continued walking.

Things were going smoothly. Very smoothly. Maybe this would be a safe place to stay…

"Christ… I can't stop thinking about dinner. Thanks for the rations earlier. It's all that's keeping me on my feet right now." Mark explained.

Eleanor smiled. So Lee did feed Mark after all. Good.

"I'm hungry too, Mark." Lee said.

"Do you think they'll be good for it? Dinner for a whole group of people?" Mark asked.

"If they've got as much food as they say, I think so." Eleanor said.

Just then they saw a walker, completely collapsed on the fence, making it fall over.

"Well, that's not good. Let's take care of that soon, before more of them get in." Eleanor said.

Mark went on the other side of the fence, and Lee jumped on the other side of fence and slowly lifted it up.

"Lift with your back, boys." Eleanor smiled, hands her hips as she stared down at her brother happily. The two of them chuckled as they lifted the fence all the way, the walker falling like a rag doll on the ground.

Suddenly the light's on the fences turned on, and the electricity hummed through the wires again.

"Shit!" Lee called.

"Why the hell are they on, they know we're out here?!" Mark asked loudly.

Just as he finished saying this, an arrow went flying through Mark's shoulder, making him groan in pain.

"Mark!" Eleanor cried.

"I told you that would happen, you son's of bitches!" A harsh voice came from the woods.

"What the-" Lee asked.

"Get under the tractor, and try to find another way in through the gate!" Eleanor called, and ran to the entrance of the gate, kicking it open in a hurry.

The two men did as she said, and once Eleanor had found cover behind a silo and pulled out her gun.

She tried to find the attackers, but they were nicely blended into the brush. But that didn't stop their arrows. Waves and waves of arrows went flying left right and center. It was a miracle that nobody else got shot.

Eleanor could only watch as Lee tried to move the tractor forwards, pulling things away from the tires to make it go.

Finally it did, and they slowly made their way towards the silo, when the tractor hit a walker.

"Must have been on we knocked down earlier." Mark said. Eleanor could tell he was in pain…

"Hurry!" She called as the attackers kept screaming and shooting at them.

"We had a deal!" They yelled.

There was no time to ask them which deal it was. They needed to leave, and fast.

Lee pulled the walker out of the way, and threw it behind him. The tractor kept moving again, until it hit yet another walker.

"Shit…" Eleanor cursed under her breathe. She could do basically nothing but watch as Lee moved that walker as well. Suddenly it came alive, threatening to bite Lee.

"Oh Jesus!" Mark exclaimed as Lee kicked the walker a few times in the face, trying desperately to get him off.

This one must've been caught under the tractor more than the other one, because as Lee pulled it away, it's whole lower body detached and soon all that Lee was holding was a torso of a rotting corpse.

They started moving forward again, but the half walker inched their way closer and closer towards them. Eleanor couldn't get a good shot, since Mark and Lee were both in front of her.

"Just go!" She yelled. Once the tractor was up against the silo, Eleanor ran to Mark, hugging him tightly. Behind him the walker took an arrow in the brain, and collapsed, making Eleanor pull away.

"Lets go!" She yelled. The three of them ran as fast as they could away from the scene.

"Go ahead and run! We ain't going nowhere!" The attackers called to them as they fled the area, and back to the ranch.

Oh they'll be hearing about this one…

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Mark, Lee and Eleanor ran through the front gates of the ranch, their pace just the same as when they first started running from the bandits, their hearts pounding in their chest's heavily.

Mark was shot, and now the bandits are after them… things could've gone better, for sure.

Andy he rushed over to them quickly, genuinely concerned for the three of them.

"Lee, what's wrong?!" Andy asked. Danny stood at the front of the house, looking down at the scene.

"What the fuck do you think? Mark is fucking shot!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"I'm okay…" Mark mumbled.

"There was a god-damn ambush out there!" Lee shouted angrily.

"Holy shit… a-are you okay?!" Danny asked once he ran down to the scene, his eye's wide.

"What do you think, asshole?!" Eleanor shot.

"Bandits here? On our property!?" Andy asked.

"Oh my Lord, what happened to you, sweetheart?!" Brenda asked, running down to them as well.

"What the fuck do you think, lady?" Eleanor asked.

"Calm down, El. I'll be alright once it's out... god-damn it hurts." Mark moaned, clutching his shoulder in pain.

Just then the rest of the group came around the corner… including Clem…

"Hey ya'll!" Kenny said, waving to them.

"Mark! Oh my god, what happened?!" Katjaa asked.

"Bandits got him." Eleanor explained as the group came running to his aid.

"Christ! Are you gonna be okay?!" Lily asked.

"Yes, he'll be just fine." Eleanor said.

"I should just… pull it out…" Mark added.

"Oh no, come on honey. Brenda's got you. Come on inside now. We'll have ya'll sorted out." She explained.

Mark, Eleanor and Katjaa followed Brenda into the house.

"Well, you must be the veterinarian they've been talking about." Brenda said as they made their way into the house. Eleanor helped support Mark as they walked up the stares to the house.

"I am. Doug said you had a sick cow?" Katjaa asked.

"Maybell? Right… we don't know what's been going on with her. Hopefully you'll figure it out." Brenda said, smiling happily.

"Let's take care of Mark, first." Eleanor said, and looked around. "Is there a guest bed around here?"

"Yup, just up the stairs. Come, now." Brenda said, leading the two siblings up the stairs.

She opened the door to the bedroom, and Mark sighed with relief.

"Lay down, we'll take care of you." Eleanor said, setting Mark down on the bed.

"First things first, we need to get that arrow out." Eleanor said, standing up straight and looked Brenda in the eye.

"Oh, come now. Why don't you let me handle this?" Brenda asked.

"That's not happening." Eleanor spat. There was a stern silence, and she looked around nervously.

"I'm not leaving Mark's side." She added.

"Alright, I understand. I'll just show Katjaa to the barn where the cow is. I'll get one of my boys-" Before Brenda could finish, Eleanor interrupted her.

"I've got this. I'll call you if things get worse." She said.

Brenda eyed her silently for a little, then nodded to Katjaa, and left.

"She's always been like that, don't take it personally." Katjaa said as they walked down the hall.

"You didn't have to do that." Mark said, looking up at her.

"I did. Mark, I don't trust these guys… I'll take care of you." Eleanor explained.

She looked around for any supplies, and luckily she found a lot in a cupboard next to the bedroom.

She was surprised to find loads of gauze and morphine in there. Why did diary workers need so much medical supplies? Maybe Brenda was a nurse…

She grabbed loads of gaze and a bottle of morphine pills, and headed back into the room.

"They have morphine?" Mark asked.

"Yup… I guess one of them must have been a nurse. There's loads more where that came from." Eleanor said, grabbing some water from the bathroom.

She cracked open the bottle of morphine, and gave two tablets to Mark.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"You said it hurt, right? We need to get that thing out." She said.

Mark looked down at the pills, then slipped them in his mouth. Eleanor handed him the water, and he swallowed them down.

"How long until it kicks in?" He asked.

"Not long." Eleanor answered.

Just then Danny appeared at the front of the door, and looked at the two of them for a time. As if he was deciding what to do with them.

"Eleanor, can you come here for a second?" He asked.

"No. I'm not leaving Mark." Eleanor answered harshly.

"I just want to ask you a question." Danny countered.

"Ask it, then."

There was a pause…

"Lee and I are going to scout out those bandit's camp. You wonna come with us?"

"What did I just say? …Just give 'em a few bullets in the chest for me, would yah?" Eleanor asked.

"Sure thing." Danny nodded. "And… sorry again about Mark."

"It's alright." Eleanor said.

Once Danny left she rolled Mark over on his back gently.

"You good?" She asked, wrapping her fingers over the arrow.

"Yeah… just get it out." Mark said.

Eleanor braced herself, and yanked at the arrow as quick as she could.

It went out in one piece. Mark only moaned a bit.

"Strong stuff." Eleanor said, wiping the arrow down with some gauze.

"Nice arrow." Mark added.

"Real nice. Those bandits know what they're doing." Eleanor said, and set the arrow on the bed post.

"Alright. Gauze time." She said.

"That won't be necessary." Brenda said from the door. Andy was right behind her, a rope in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked, reaching for her pistol.

"Andy?" Brenda called, and Andy pounced on Eleanor quickly. She only had enough time to pull out her pistol, but not enough to shoot.

It was across the room in a second, and Andy's strong grasp was tight on her arms. He had Eleanor on her back on the bed in a flash.

She tried to scream, but he pushed her face into the bed, muffling her cries.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Mark asked furiously.

Brenda pulled a gun to Mark, and narrowed her eye's at him as Andy started tying Eleanor's arms and legs.

"Not another peep." She spat.

Andy got off Eleanor once she was tied, and threw her to the ground. Before she could think of screaming he had a rifle pointed at her face.

"What do you want?" Eleanor asked harshly.

"You to shut up. We've got plans for Mark." Andy said.

"Oh yeah, what kinda plans?" Eleanor spat.

"We're having a roast. And we're all out of meat." Andy explained.

Eleanor's eye's widened. Cannibals! Of course! How could she not have figured it out?!

"We know if we let you go you won't leave Mark's side. So we're not." Brenda explained.

"You're not gonna knock me out are you? Cause that won't last long at all." Eleanor explained.

"It'll give us enough time to do what we have planned for you." Andy said.

"You're not gonna eat me, are you?"

"Course not, against our code. No… we'll just keep you back." And with that, Andy kicked Eleanor hard in the head, making her black out.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

When Eleanor came to, which she barely managed, she saw Brenda putting a needle in her arm. But it didn't hurt. She looked closely at her arm, and noticed there were three band aids on it.

She couldn't move… she couldn't speak, and it was getting harder to breath.

When Brenda noticed she was awake, she smiled evilly.

"Fifteen minutes? Impressive. Although, I think the morphine had something to do with that." She said.

Eleanor tried to say something, but Brenda shushed her.

"Four shots should be enough. We couldn't get it in you any other way. Now, don't worry, honey. If you die, it'd be a slow death. You won't feel a thing. Plus, if we stop now, we'll be able to have you later." She said, pinching her cheek playfully.

"M-Mar…" Eleanor slurred.

"Mark? He's right behind you. He's stayed knocked out for a while. I've got my plans for him." She said, standing up.

"Besides, we go after people who were gonna die." She added.

"Ju…st… an… arrow…" Eleanor barely managed, her breathing growing shallow.

"Not just an arrow. Bandit arrow. He didn't take it well. Once we knocked you out, he bled all over the bed. It punctured his lung, and hit a vein. I had to tend to you, so he's as good dead, now…" Brenda explained, and dragged a very pale Mark into the bathroom.

'No… no, don't make me watch… no…' Eleanor thought. Her back was resting on the bed, and she was still tied up. Although it didn't do much. These bastards overdosed her with morphine. Morphine! How dare they! But she couldn't act on her anger… all she could manage do to through her daze was move her head. Drowsiness overwhelmed her, she couldn't feel anything... until she moved her head towards the bathroom.

Brenda was holding a giant saw, and looked down at Mark grimly.

"No…no…" Eleanor groaned, panicking slightly. But every move she tried to make threatened darkness to take her again. And she didn't know if she'll wake up from it this time... Brenda smirked at Eleanor evilly.

"I'll bring a plate up for you." She seemed to growl, and closed the door.

But that didn't stop the noise. The screaming, the yelping, the sawing, the begging… it all flowed through as if the door was still open.

And there was nothing Eleanor could do to stop it.


	6. Chapter 6: And To Keep Others Alive

**Hello!**

**Hey, it's been a while! Hehe, sorry about that! **

**Well, I've got some good news! This story is now going to get me some credit for school! So, I'm aiming to have it done before the end of June. It's gonna be a lot of work for me, but it's gonna be fun! **

**Also, to speed things up, I'm uploaded twice a week now. Monday and Friday. Lets hope I don't regret that. ;)**

**Well, hope you enjoy! This episode is coming to an end. Wow, feel so fast. **

**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD FRANCHISE**

The sun was gone, and the room was dark… black clouds covered the once blue sky, and in the distance there was thunder. As if a storm was building somewhere far away.

But it wasn't just the weather that was building a storm… on the St. John's Dairy, Eleanor was finally starting to feel her body again. The room had gone silent, the only sound was Eleanor's breathing growing faster as she slowly got strength back into her body. And with it, her anger towards the people who did this to her.

"Mark." She whispered, the name sounding like a phantom in the dull silence.

There was no reply. Brenda had pushed the shelf over the door when she had left after… after what she had done.

"Are you there?" She asked. It felt like she was talking to herself, and tears formed in her eyes.

"You're the last thing I have on this earth… please… don't leave me." She said as a tear slid down her cheek.

She reached up and wiped it away, and looked at her finger now glistening with moisture.

"I don't remember the last time I cried… I starting to think that I had no more tears left in me." She stated, and pressed her lips together.

She blinked twice as she heard the front door of the house open, and people walking in. The familiar voices boomed through the house, filling her with comfort. Something she hadn't felt when she would think of them. Even when she heard Lily's voice, even Larry's it soothed her.

Then she heard Clementine, making Eleanor almost gasp.

A new wave of energy flowed through her, and she struggled against her restraints, but she couldn't break free. She was still slightly weak from the morphine…

Just when she had given up hope she heard footsteps going upstairs, and her heart dropped.

Was it one of the St. Johns? Or was it one of her clan…

She heard the closet open, and suddenly the light in the bathroom where Mark was flicked on.

It wasn't a St. John… it was somebody coming to rescue them!

Eleanor bit her lip, thinking up what she would do to those bastards once she was free.

The door creaked open, and Lee stepped in cautiously.

"Oh my God, El." He whispered, coming towards her quickly, pulling out a multi-tool and cutting her loose. With that she got up like a lightening bolt, and ran towards the shelf, pushing it out of the way in a flash. She put one hand on the door knob, and suddenly became extremely dizzy, and wavered in her place.

Lee caught her before she could fall over. "Whoa there. Where's Mark?" He asked.

Eleanor shook her head, trying to shake off the last effects of the morphine, and swung the door open quickly.

Her stomach turned violently at the sight in front of her, and Lee stepped back, putting a hand over his mouth.

The scent hit the two of them like a pile of bricks… exposed flesh, fresh blood and sweat.

There was Mark, legless, and looked pale as a ghost. The floor was soaked with blood, in fact, the whole bathroom was!

In an instant Eleanor fell to her knees and grabbed Mark by the neck.

"Mark… no no, stay with me, Mark!" She gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.

"Don't… eat… dinner…" He mumbled.

"Clementine!" Lee said, and bolted out of the room quickly.

"I swear, I'll kill them for what they've done." Eleanor spat, taking in the scene.

"No… don't… no matter how hard it gets, El… stick with the group. They'll be your only family now." He whimpered.

"Don't talk like that." Eleanor said, trying to comfort her brother.

"Be strong… please… never give up hope, never… always do what you can to survive, and to keep others alive…Please, El… for me…"

"I will…"

Mark closed his eye's, and his breathing stopped.

Tears flowed down Eleanor's cheeks, and she hugged her brother's limp body close to hers.

His last words lingered in the air.

"Keep others alive… for me." She pursed her lips together, kissing Marks forehead one last time, and got up slowly.

With a few shakes of her head she turned and struggled down the stairs, clutching the railing tightly.

"LET GO OF HER YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She heard Lee scream after a little girls yelp. Her eye's narrowed. The scream was Clementine's.

When she was down the stairs she saw everyone sitting at the dinner table, a pile of roasted meat on everyone's plates…

Andy had Clementine by the hair, and Danny was holding a gun to Lee's head. Everyone was struck silent.

The only sound was Eleanor gasps' for air as she looked at everyone, staring wide eyed at her. And rightfully so, too. She was drenched in her brothers blood, her cheeks stained with tears, her skin paler than normal, and her lips tainted blue from the morphine overdose. If it weren't for her breathing she would be mistaken for a walker.

Her gaze met Clementine's, making her eye's widen. She looked horrified…

"Clemen-" Lee started, realizing the same thing, but was bashed over the head by Danny before he could finish.

Anger seeped through Eleanor's veins, and she gathered the strength to punch Danny, who stumbled back in shock at her attack.

In a fit of panic she lunged herself towards Clementine, desperate to keep her safe when Danny hit her hard on the head, sending her into darkness yet again.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

When Eleanor came to, she saw Clementine standing in front of her, her hands curled up to her mouth, her face contorted with worry.

'Oh thank God, she's okay.' Eleanor thought.

"Clem…" She managed, and Clementine rushed towards her.

"You're awake! Did they hurt you? You're covered in... that stuff." She said, looking worried.

"Don't worry about it honey… did they hurt you?" She asked, trying to fake a smile and tried to forget the fact they were in a meat locker.

"No…" Clem shook her head.

Eleanor's gaze shifted to Larry, who was banging on the door and screaming as loudly as he could. The place smelt like vomit and salt, Lily was leaning on the wall grasping her stomach as Kenny and Lee were looking for a way out.

"Lee, those psychos have my family, And we're stuck in a damn meat locker! We've gotta get the fuck outta here!" Kenny spat, then was over shadowed by Larry's screaming.

"Open this god-damn door right now!" He yelled, banging on the door hard.

"I'm working on it, Kenny." Lee said, and glanced at Larry.

"How long has he been screaming like that?" Eleanor asked.

"Ever since we got in here…" Clementine said.

"You're not scared or anything, right?"

"No..."

"Good… I'm gonna try to help find us a way out of here."

Eleanor attempted to get up, and her head spun wildly the second she did.

"They're not gonna open the door!" Lily tried to ease her father's temper, but with no success.

Eleanor took a deep breath and steadied herself, studying the room.

The roof had no exit, the door didn't have an emergency latch, Kenny was looking behind some boards but there seemed to be nothing behind them.

"You're dad's not making it any easier for us." Lee told Lily.

"Open the fucking door!" Larry screamed.

"Dad, stop!" Lily pleaded. "Dad, that isn't helping!"

Larry ignored her daughter, and went on banging at the door and screaming profanities.

"C'mon, Larry. Do you really want to attract their attention?" Lee asked.

At that moment Eleanor caught sight of an air duct right next to Kenny, and she smiled.

"Yeah, I wonna attract their attention so I can fucking kill them!" Larry snapped back.

Eleanor tried to ignore them and walked towards the air duct.

At close glance she saw screws holding it in place. She narrowed her eye's, thinking of something she could loosen them with.

"… And you went out of your way to be an asshole to me tonight. You must really hate me." Larry said, getting Eleanor's attention. He wasn't screaming it… he was looking straight at Lee in the eyes.

"But guess what? You're stuck with me. And I plan to be around long after you're gone. And If you turn… I'll be the one putting the axe through your skull." Larry said.

Before Eleanor could say anything, Lee snapped back.

"No! You're not worth the energy to hate…"

"Don't forget, I know who you really are." Larry said.

"Psst, Lee." Eleanor said, and motioned Lee to come towards her. "Take a look at this, I think I found a way out." She whispered once he was close enough.

But before she could say anything more Larry clutched his heart in pain.

"Easy!" Lily said, coming towards him.

"Oh god…" Larry said, and collapsed to the ground, making Clementine jump back and gasp.

Lily dropped to her knees and grabbed Larry's head.

"No, Dad come on! DAD!" She screamed. "Oh God, he's stopped breathing. I think he's had a heart attack." She added, pumping at his chest.

"Shit… is he dead?" Kenny asked.

"He's not dead! Somebody help me!" Lily pleaded.

"Fuuuuuck… if he's dead."

"He's not DEAD!"

"…You two know what has to happen. Think about it. You saw that poor bastard at the motel. How fast he turned." Kenny explained to Lee and Eleanor.

"What are you saying?" Lily asked, still pumping at Larry's chest.

"Lilly, I'm sorry. I truly, truly am. But in a few minutes, we're gonna be stuck in a locked room with a 6-foot-four, 300 pound, SERIOUSLY pissed off dead guy!" Kenny said.

"FUCK YOU! We can bring him back! SOMEBODY!" Lily screamed.

"We'll mourn him later. But right now, we have to keep him from comin' back."

"Noo!" Clementine squealed.

"God-damnit Kenny! He's not dead!" Lily snapped.

"We can't kill him if he's not dead, Kenny!" Lee snapped.

"You remember how hard it was to get that monster off of Katjaa! And Larry's twice his size. It's him or us." Kenny argued.

"Look Kenny, back in the drug store when we all thought Duck was bitten, I gave him the benefit of the doubt… Maybe we should do the same now."

"That was different, Duck wasn't bitten. But, come on, we know this guy isn't gonna make it! Remember what Ben said… gotta destroy the brain. Come on Lee, you can't be in the middle this time! You've gotta have my back this time!" Kenny replied

"God-damnit Lee, I NEED you! Please help me!" Lily begged.

Lee glance at Eleanor, who shook her head. She knew Larry was gone… or was he?

"Is he breathing at all?" She asked Lily quickly.

"No… no I don't think so!" Lily replied, panic thick in her voice.

"You're right Kenny… lets get this over with." Lee said, making Eleanor look at him in disgust.

"You fucking monsters! Both of you!" Lily yelled.

"You can't just do this!" Eleanor yelled, grabbing Kenny's arm roughly.

"We have to!" He replied, shrugging her off and turning quickly towards the salt licks.

"I don't wonna see!" Clementine said, retreated to a wall and covering her eyes.

"Clem!" Eleanor called, and pulled her into her arms.

Clementine hugged Eleanor firmly, her eye's tightly closed and her head buried in Eleanor's hair, as if she could just wake up from a bad dream. She didn't seem to care about how blood stained she was…

Lee looked down at the two girls, but then turned back to Lily.

"I'm sorry, Lily." He said, and grabbed her shoulders.

Lily grabbed onto Larry with all of her might, refusing to let go.

"No, no, no, no! Get off me! Don't do this!" She cried.

Clementine's breathing became quick and shallow, and Eleanor rubbed her back softly.

"It's okay, Clem, it's okay." She whispered softly.

"Let go of me!" Lily cried, but Lee pulled her away quickly, just in time for Kenny to send one of the salt licks right on Larry's head, bashing it in.

The only sound in the room now was Lily's soft weeping, and the two men breathing heavily.

"God help us." Kenny sighed, and crouched down next to Lily. "I'm sorry. I know it-" He started.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" Lily snapped furiously.

Clementine started crying in Eleanor's arms, holding tighter onto her for comfort.

"Shh…" Eleanor whispered, and glared at Lee.

Lee came over to the two girls and crouched down with them.

"Why Lee… Lily said he wasn't dead!" Clementine whined into Eleanor's shoulder.

"He was dead, Clementine." Lee replied.

"But what if he wasn't?" Clementine asked.

"He was. I-I promise." Lee said. "I know, I know, sshh, but you've got to be strong right now. I need you to be strong. Think about something else… Something… hopeful." Lee said, patting Clementine's shoulder.

Clementine pulled her head away from Eleanor's shoulder to look at Lee.

"Like what?" She asked.

"You're walkie talkie. Those pretend talks with your parents. Don't those make you feel better?" Eleanor asked.

"Sometimes… we're gonna get out, right? You find a way out?" Clementine asked.

"Eleanor found a way out." Lee said, getting up and holding a hand out to Eleanor, who took it slowly, feeling her head rush and she slightly wavered.

"Whoa there." Lee said, grabbing Eleanor's shoulder, but quickly retreated his hand away.

But to his surprise Eleanor was fine with it. In fact, she seemed to have invited the touch with open arms… what the hell happened to her?

"The air duct. If we could just find something to loosen the screws to the air conditioner with it'd be a perfect way out." She explained, not wanting Lee to ask what had happened.

"That makes sense… it should be big enough for one of us to fit through." Lee explained as they made their way towards it for a closer look.

"I dunno guys, seems like a long shot." Kenny said.

"Do you guys need anything? I've got a rock." Clementine explained, making Eleanor smile.

"No, that's alright honey. Maybe a coin might do the trick. Have you got one of those?" She asked.

"Uh-uh" Clementine replied.

Lee stiffened, and glanced down at Larry.

"What?" Eleanor asked.

"I think I remember him mentioning he had some coins to Mark." Lee explained, and looked at Eleanor in the eye's, half expecting her anger to flare up by the mention of his name. But to his surprise, she only nodded her head.

Lee came to Lily and crouched down next to her.

"Get away." Lily murmured.

"I just need to…"

"I told you to GET THE FUCK AWAY!"

Lee's eye's widened and he backed away.

"Okay, she bites." He mumbled.

"I'll give it a shot." Eleanor said, and crouched next to Lily. "Lily… I'm sorry…"

"You didn't do anything." She snapped.

"You think I wanted it like that, Lily? You think I wanted… this?"

Lily put her head down, pressing her lips together.

Eleanor spoke after a short silence.

"Look… Lee and I have found a way out, but we a coin or something. Do you have one on you?"

"No." Lily replied. She sounded so broken…

"How about him?"

"Alright… but I'll get it."

Eleanor shook her head, and Lily dug through a pocket, and pulled out a silver ring.

Her eye's dropped as she twirled it in her fingers.

"That was my mothers…" She said, then took a deep breathe and went in again. This time she came out with two quarters and a dime.

Eleanor took them and smiled the best she could.

"Thank you." She said.

Lily didn't reply, but put her head down again, looking at the ring in her fingers.

Eleanor got up and handed the coins to Lee, who then loosened the screws to the air conditioner.

Him and Kenny lifted it out of the way once it was free, and looked at the open air duct.

"Well, there's our way out, Lee." Kenny said, smiling in triumph.

"It's too small for us to fit through." Lee said.

"I can do it." Clementine chirped, making everyone turn to her.

Lee crouched down next to her, looking at her in the eye.

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" He asked.

"I know. I just wonna go home." Clementine said.

'You and me both…' Eleanor thought. But what WAS home anymore? The Motor Inn? It was just an empty building without Mark… She looked down at the little girl looking anxiously at Lee, remembering what Mark had said.

'They'll be your new family, now.'

"This will help us get back home." Kenny added.

"Okay." Clementine sighed.

Eleanor grabbed Clementine and lifted her to the air duct.

"You're gonna be fine." Lee said.

"What do I do when I get out." Clementine asked, turning to him.

"See if you can get to the otherside of the door and open it." He explained.

There was silence as she climbed through it, the kind of silence that made you crazy.

There was a slight squeal, then silence. Then just before anybody could say anything, the door opened, Clementine behind it.

"Are you okay?! Did anyone see you!?" Lee questioned frantically.

"No, but there's a man outside." Clementine explained.

Eleanor smiled widely at Clementine.

"Good job." She said, making her smile back.

"Lily, we gotta go." Lee said, walking over to her.

"Leave me alone." She snapped.

"Lee! I can see him" Kenny said, looking outside the door cautiously.

"It's not safe in here…" Lee started.

"For God's sake, Lee. I didn't even get to say goodbye." Lily said.

Lee put his head down. It was true.

"Lee get in here! I've got an idea!" Kenny called from the other room.

Lee walked to the door, and turned to Clementine before leaving.

"Stay here, take care of Lily, okay?" He said.

"I will." Clementine nodded.

When Lee and Eleanor walked into the room they say Kenny staring blankly at a tub full of blood.

Eleanor looked around… the place was covered in blood, tools were everywhere. This is where they would murder their victims… normally.

She noticed a bear trap on the counter, and she narrowed her eyes. They were the ones who put that bear trap in the woods this morning… It seemed so much longer than just a day.

"I told you there was something up with this room. It's a god-damn human slaughter house!" Kenny remarked.

'Well, you slaughter humans too, Kenny.' Eleanor thought.

She glanced at Lee, but didn't say anything.

They all crouched down and looked around for weapons.

Eleanor noticed a sickle just above her on the counter, and she grabbed it quickly.

Lee grabbed a hay hook and the two of them walked towards Kenny.

"So what's the plan?" Lee asked.

"That dumbass is so caught up in his own rant that we could probably sneak right up on him. Just stick behind me until we get to the front, in case anything goes down. When we get there, grab his gun." Kenny explained.

"Sounds good." Lee said.

"I'll stay here, and if anyone tries to fuck with you guys I'll be on them in two seconds. You can count on that." Eleanor explained, and the two nodded there heads.

As the two of them inched towards Danny his voice mumbled through the barn.

"…And momma, I know you mean well, and God bless you, but you have GOT to stop playing favorites with Andy. I know he's older, but that don't make him better. And it certainly don't make him smarter." He said.  
Then another voice came into ear shot.

"Dan, what are you doing outside the barn?" Andy asked, coming towards Danny.

Lee and Kenny quickly ducked into one of the stalls.

Eleanor held her breathe, clutching the sickle in her hand tightly and narrowing her eyes, as if ready to pounce on both of them right here right now.

"Just guarding the place, like you said." Danny replied.

"Well, quit sittin' out in the rain like a damn weirdo. Mama says we can't keep that many folks alive and not expect trouble. Pick one to keep and kill the rest." Andy explained.

There was no doubt that Eleanor would be the first to die, but she was too busy thinking of Clementine. No, they can't kill everyone… they have to be stopped.

"Can I pick which one to keep alive?" Danny asked.

"Not the kid. Not enough meat on her trade." Andy said. Eleanor sighed in slight relief. Even if they don't make it out, Clem will.

The cow made a short cry once Andy was gone, and Danny turned his attention to her.

The stall door opened slightly, revealing Lee trying to see what was going on.

"Oh I know, Maybelle. This is my favorite part, too. When I let one be thinking they could just walk right out, haha. They never even look down." Danny chuckled, setting up one of those rigged bear traps.

'This sick fucker thinks this is a game…' Eleanor thought angrily, fighting back the urge to stab Danny in the neck right then and there.

The stall door closed, and you could almost hear the two boys whispering to each other…

Eleanor's eye's widened as she noticed Danny heard the same thing. He posed at the door, his gun pointing at whoever was coming out. In a few seconds the stall door opened, making Lee gasp.

Eleanor crossed her fingers tightly, hoping Lee had a quick reaction time.


	7. Chapter 7: Kill The Part You Hate

**Hello! It's Friday, so that means another upload! **

**So, I uploaded this episode before, but after reading a few lines of it I realized it was the un-edited version. Oops! Should be fixed now!**

**I worked pretty hard on this one. Ended up having to make a 'bad assery' playlist on my iPod to get into the mood. ^_^ I hope it payed off!**

**Enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD FRANCHISE**

To Eleanor's surprise, Lee did have a quick reaction timing. He jerked Danny's gun upwards in a desperate attempt to protect Kenny and himself.

The gun went off right next to Lee's ear, and he clutched it painfully.

Eleanor was about to pounce when Lily grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait." She said.

Eleanor frowned deeply, but listened anyways.

Danny backed away quickly, attempting to reload his double barreled shot gun, when Lee stabbed him in the chest with his hay hook.

Danny screamed in pain, and pushed Lee down quickly. He yelled again as he pulled out the hay hook and threw it on the ground.

Eleanor pulled away from Lily and lunged herself at Danny before he could shoot Lee.

She stabbed him in the side once, making him back away towards the bear trap.

She smirked, and lifted her sickle again, ready to strike when Danny's foot got caught in the bear trap, making him scream again and fall down in agony on a pile of hay.

He grabbed his leg in pain, hardly believing what had just happened.

Kenny emerged from the stall quickly, and glared down at the St. John brother.

"Where's my family, asshole!?" He screamed.

"You can't have 'em! We need the vet!" Danny groaned.

"Nooo!" Katjaa's voice boomed through the barn.

"Kat! Lee, come on!" Kenny called.

"Just go. I won't be far behind." He said, looking down at Danny.

Kenny nodded, and ran out of the barn quickly.

Lee plucked a pitch fork from the pile of hay, and looked at it in his hands for a second. Then he looked at Eleanor, indicating her to do it.

She took a breath and nodded, grabbing the pitch fork from him.

Danny looked up at Eleanor, the pitch fork read in her hands. She looked like she had been waiting for this for a long time.

"I never meant to have them do that to you! I wanted you to come with us! So you didn't have to go through what you did! I know you're not a coward, El! Unlike Lee…" He called.

"There's no excuse for what you've done to my family." Eleanor snarled, ignoring that last comment.

"This is how the world works now! You can have me! You see? Give part of yourself, so others can live!" Danny said, his voice thick with agony.

"Cannibalism is not the answer! Aren't the walkers eating enough of us!?" Eleanor yelled.

"You gotta keep me alive! If you kill me, the meat gets tainted! You can't eat it!" Danny called.

"What makes you think I want to eat you? No, no I have other plans for you!" Eleanor called raising the pitch fork higher, and higher, ready to strike.

Then, as if she was having a vision, she remembered Mark's last words yet again.

'Stick with the group. They'll be your only family now.'

Clementine appeared in her vision, worried, scared, and alone. She only looked up to two people in the world. And that was Lee and Eleanor… What would she think if one of her hero's killed a man so brutally? Even if he did kill her brother? Or was it him? He was right. He didn't want it to happen, at least not to her. He gave her a way out, and she didn't take it. All because of her damn pride. She snarled loudly, and threw the pitch fork at the hay pile right next to him.

"There's been enough death already. I'm not gonna kill you…" She growled, and turned to Lily, who was walking towards the scene with the shot gun in her hand.

"I'll leave it to someone else." She said.

Lily nodded her head, understanding what she meant.

"Oh God, don't hurt him!" Katjaa's voice boomed yet again.

"Katjaa! Lily! Take care of Clementine. Make sure she's safe. Please!" Lee begged.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded anyways.

Lee and Eleanor slowly crept out of the barn, eyeing the house nervously. Nobody was outside, and the screams had gone quite. Kenny was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly a strange red light came from the bushes, making the two people frown.

"What the hell?" Lee asked.

"Dougs laser pointer." Eleanor whispered, and moved towards where the light was coming from.

The laser pointed at Eleanor's face, and right into her eyes, making her cringe.

"Doug!" she called.

Him and Ben came towards them, and crouched down in front of them.

It was nice to see there faces again. At least they were safe…

"What the hell was that?" Eleanor asked.

"Morse code!" He answered.

"You almost blinded me!"

"Oh, sorry about that. But I did get your attention!"

"I guess so…"

"We heard screams from the barn! What's going on?" Ben asked.

"These people are fucking crazy!" Lee replied.

"I knew it! I told you we couldn't trust them!" Doug said, almost to Ben more than to Lee.

"Where is everybody? What can we do to help?" Ben asked.

"Larry's dead! They chopped off Mark's legs and tried to feed it to us!" Lee exclaimed.

"Jesus! That is sick!" Doug exclaimed.

"They've still got Duck and Katjaa in the house, and I don't know where the fuck Kenny is!" Eleanor explained.

"All right, we're coming in to help." Doug perked up.

"No, you two try to find a way around to the back. El and I will head to the front." Lee said.

"You sure? Maybe I should go with them." Eleanor said.

"No, stay with me. I might need some back-up." Lee explained.

Eleanor nodded her head, Doug and Ben turned to find a way around.

"Come on, this way." Doug whispered.

"Wait, are you sure?" Ben asked.

"Yes! No… … yes."

Lee shook his head, and the two of them made their way to the house.

"No, please God, NO!" Katjaa yelled from inside the house.

"Just shut up and he'll be fine!" Brenda called.

Lee kept walking towards the house slowly, and Eleanor ducked behind the fence, letting him take this one.

"Something's up. I'm gonna take the boy and check around the back." Danny said after a slight pause.

"No, please, don't take my boy!" Katjaa begged.

"Let go, woman!"

"Settle down. I don't wonna hurt ya'll!" Brenda called. "Andy? Danny, is that you? What's going on out there?" She asked, peeking her head through the screen door.

"I left Danny in the barn… He got what he deserved!" Lee said.

"Oh my god…" Brenda mumbled, turning away from the door. "Come here." She snarled

"Let me go!" Katjaa called.

"Be careful, Lee!" Eleanor called, and he nodded his head.

"LEE!" Katjaa said.

"Get back! Don't' come in here!" Brenda snarled. "You just HAD to go snooping around, didn't you?!"

"Let her go, Brenda!"

Eleanor slowly made her way towards the door behind Lee, peeking her head in.

Lee opened the door slowly, and walked in with his hands up, making it easy to reach the window. She crawled through the porches' railing, and peeked through to get a good glimpse of what was going on.

"Brenda, come on, now, you know you don't wonna do this!" Lee tried to bargain with her.

"Just go away and leave us be!" Brenda begged.

Lee slowly went forward. He was really pushing it…

"Stop right there! I mean it!"

"Think about what you're doing! It doesn't have to end like this!"

Brenda inched up the stairs with Katjaa in her arms, the gun pointed to her again as Lee inched towards them.

"I'll kill her, Lee." She warned.

"Just let me go…" Katjaa begged.

From behind them a strange figure moved through the darkness… it was Mark. Well, it wasn't Mark anymore. What was once Eleanor's brother was now a walker… a walker ready to bite whoever came close. She could tell Lee was thinking the same thing. If he just got closer, Brenda would get close to Mark and get attacked, dropping Katjaa.

"Stay back! Don't do anything stupid!" Brenda begged again, pointing the gun at Lee.

"Let her go, Brenda."

"Please, listen to him!" Katjaa said.  
Brenda shook her head, and inched up the stairs some more.

"I'll do it!" She sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than Lee.

"I don't want to kill you, Lee!" She said when Lee was closer to her again.

"Please, don't make this any worse!" Lee begged.

"Just stop!" Brenda replied, pointing the gun at Katjaa again, and moving up the stairs some more.

'Just a little further.'

Lee took a few more steps.

'And further'

Then a couple more…

"Aaaah!" Brenda called out, Mark grabbing her by the neck and took a bite out of her flesh.

And just as Eleanor had predicted, setting Katjaa free.

"They took Duck! Where's Kenny?!" Katjaa asked frantically.

"I said, don't move, asshole!" Andy's voice startled both Lee and Eleanor, and the both of them jumped backwards and turned towards the scene.

"Don't you fucking hurt him!" Kenny called.

"Oh my god!" Katjaa called, and ran out the door, Lee right behind him, and Eleanor followed.

"Let him go, God-damnit!" Kenny called once they were outside.

Andy had Duck in his grasp, pointing a gun at his head. Kenny stood right behind them, in agony as he knew he couldn't do anything.

"That ain't gonna happen!" Andy replied.

"Andy, don't!" Lee screamed, making Andy move his gun away from Duck a towards Lee.

"Shut up!" He called. Kenny rushed towards his son, but Andy shot him right in the stomach. Katjaa cried and ran towards him. "Kenny!"

"DAAAD!" Duck screamed.

"Andy! Let him go!" Eleanor called, walking towards him slowly.

"Who the fuck do you people think you are? Look at what you've done!" Andy called.

"Shut the fuck up!" Eleanor called, inching closer towards Andy like Lee had just done to Brenda.

"You think I'm playin' here, girl?! All we wanted was gas. We came to you peacefully!" Andy replied roughly!

Suddenly Doug's laser pointer hit Andy's eye's, making him waver and his gun moved away from Duck.

Eleanor took the opportunity and lunged herself at Andy, making them both tumbled down the hill.

They smashed down the white picket fence, and the two sprawled on the ground in shock.

Eleanor blinked twice, and picked up one of the broken pieces of the fence, still trying to break away from the morphine.

Andy came towards her, standing up and before Eleanor could attack him with the sharp point of the fence he kicked her in the face, sending her on her flying on her back.

He turned towards the generators, switching them on. Eleanor was trying to still the world around her when Andy grabbed her by the end of her collar and pulled her towards the fences that were now turned on.

"Get the fuck up!" Andy snarled.

She sent the pointy piece of the fence into his leg, making him collapse and let go of her collar.

She jumped on top of him and punched the left side of his face, then the right, then the left again…

The crew watched as she kept punching, over and over again.

Just before she was about to punch again, she saw herself instead of Andy. There was blood coming out of her mouth, and she looked up, pride thick in her eye's. As if she was saying 'That all you got?!'. Eleanor snarled loudly, and punched harder this time. Again and again. Killing the part of herself that she hated. The pride that had grown inside of her like a parasite, and plagued her life. It hurt everyone around her, and most importantly, it killed her brother.

It's killed so many people around her in the past… co-workers, friends, strangers…husbands…

And now it took her family. She screamed, and hit as hard as she could, breaking her out of her spell as Andy yelled in pain, hitting his jaw brutally.

Eleanor sat breathless over the man, her eye's wide with disbelief of what she had just done.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Lily looking down at her sympathetically.

Eleanor stood up over what she had done, looking down at Andy.

"Is… that all you got, Eleanor?" He asked, his voice slurred from the pain in his jaw. "You ain't shit!" He added.

"It's over!" She cried.

"Fuck you. As soon as Dan and Mama get out here… y-you're all fucked!" Andy slurred, getting up to his knees.

"They're both dead." Eleanor roared.

"…. What did you do? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?" Andy screamed, looking like his heart was breaking.

Eleanor shook her head, and turned away from the scene, towards the group with Lily. Towards her new family.

"Don't you DARE walk away from me, Eleanor!" Andy warned.

Eleanor ignored him as she walked away from him, her eye brows bent in a permanent frown, not daring to look back.

"Get back here and finish this!" Andy called.

"Their getting in!" Clementine squealed, the generators failing and the walkers slowly creeping into the once heaven-like diary. But Eleanor couldn't care less.

"Lets go." She mumbled to the group, and stormed down the road. Leaving behind her brother, and her former self. She did not look back.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The group walked silently down the dark path back to the motor inn. Everyone had gone through a lot…

"Hey, Lee… sorry about leaving the motor inn un attended. It's just… you know." Doug said.

"I never thought a laser pointer would be the thing that saved our lives." Lee said, trying to lighten the mood.

Lily caught up with Eleanor, the gun still in her hand.

Neither of them talked for a bit, then Lily spoke up.

"What did they do to you?" She asked.

Eleanor swallowed deep.

"They sedated me. Overdosed me with morpine… I couldn't do anything when-" She stopped, not wanting to think back to that dark room, completely helpless as she heard the screams of her brother.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you in the meat locker." Lily said.

"You had a right to. Nobody should go through what Kenny put you through."

"Nobody should go through what the St. Johns put you through."

There was another silence, and the crew came to a stop as Lee and Doug started to talk.

"This fuckin' world now… it's just hiding unspeakable shit at every turn." Lee explained, making Doug cringe.

"…Were you able to salvage anything good from the dairy?" Doug asked.

"Not really. St. John's took everything I had before the place got completely overrun with walkers." Lee explained.

"Oh! I was able to grab a couple of things back while Brenda wasn't looking." Katjaa explained, handing Lee a few things, then went to Eleanor.

"I grabbed your things, as well." She said, handing her a gun that seemed to be empty.

"Thanks…" Eleanor said, putting her empty pistol in her belt.

Kenny in the background groaned in pain, and Katjaa rushed over to him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked in concern.

"I'll be fine. I'm just… not as young as I used to be." He explained, and glanced at Duck quickly.

Lee met Eleanor's gaze, and they both nodded and walked towards the injured man.

He saw them coming and turned to his family.

"Hun, go on ahead and give us a second?" Kenny asked. Katjaa and Duck followed the rest of the group, who started walking ahead.

After a few seconds Kenny spoke, trying to find his words.

"There's gonna be fallout." Was all he could say.

"For killing Lily's dad? I would imagine so." Lee said.

"Why did you call me over here? I didn't help you with Larry." Eleanor asked.

"No, but you did an awful lot to save all of us. Even if that does mean you didn't help me when I needed it." Kenny explained.

'Is that a compliment or an insult?'

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

"I'm with you Kenny. We will do what has to be done." Lee said.

"What about you, Eleanor?" Kenny asked.

She bit her lip nervously before answering.

"Kenny, you really are dedicated to the group. You would do anything to help them. And, maybe sometimes you get ahead of yourself, but that doesn't make you any less of a leader. Yeah, I'm with you." Eleanor said.

The two men looked at her as if she had grown a separate head. Eleanor, finding reason in somebodies actions other than her own? After three months with her, it was unspeakable. But there she was, complimenting Kenny even after she hadn't agreed with him. Was she smiling?

"When we get that RV running, you three will be the first on it." Kenny explained.

"Three?" Lee asked.

"You, Eleanor and Clementine." Kenny said.

Lee, Eleanor and Clementine… nice.

Once Kenny had caught up with his family, Lee turned to Clementine.

"Stay close, Clementine." He said.

"Are those bad people dead?" She asked.

"We didn't kill them, so I don't know. They might have been able to get away from the walkers, but sure they won't be coming after us." Lee explained.

"That's good." Clementine said, nodding her head.

"Hey dad, what's that noise?" Duck asked as a low hum filled everyone's ears.

Kenny inched closer towards the sound.

"Sounds like a car…" He said in thought.

"Oh God… not more strangers." Ben whined.

Kenny and Lee shared a worried glance.

The group inched around the corner, and saw a car with the doors open and it's lights on.

"Hello?" Lee called out. When nobody answered, he slowly inched his way further.

'There could be trouble in that car… but honestly at this point I don't know what to expect.'

Lee examined the car, after realizing there was nobody there.

While Lee was checking it over, Kenny noticed something in the back of the car.

"Holy crap! Baby, you've gotta see this. It's a shit load of food and supplies back here!" He exclaimed, and the group came over to look at it.

"This food could save all of us." Katjaa explained after examining the pile.

"Not all of us." Lily mumbled, making Kenny sigh.

"Look, we don't know if these people are dead." Ben said.

"If they come back, then we're just monsters who came out of the woods and ruined their lives." Lily explained.

"They probably need this food just as much as we do. It's not right just stealing from them." Eleanor added.

"This stuff isn't ours." Clementine chimed.

"Dad, whose car is it?" Duck asked.

"Don't worry about that, Duck. It's ours now." Kenny said.

"It's abandoned, Ducky. Don't worry." Katjaa added.

"What if it's not?" Clementine asked, making everyone stop and turn to her.

"What if it's not abandoned? What if it is someone's?" Clementine asked.

Lee looked at her, then looked at Eleanor, who nodded at him.

'Please do the right thing, Lee…' He blinked hard, and turned to Clementine.

"You're right. We shouldn't take this stuff." He said, coming towards her.

"What?! Did you get some meal back there the rest of us missed out on?! We HAVE to take this stuff." Kenny pleaded.

"We'll survive without it." Lee explained.

"The hell we will!" Kenny snapped.

"We'll find a way." Eleanor added.

"The rest of us are taking this stuff." Kenny said, putting his hand out to Lee, who tossed the keys in his hand.

Everyone went in the back and took different boxes of food, medicine, clothes, hell, anything you could possibly need to survive, while Lee, Clementine and Eleanor stood back.

"Lee, there's a hoodie in here, could probably fit Clementine." Katjaa said.

Lee looked down at Clementine, who shook her head.

"She's good. Thanks." He said.

"Whatever man. It's gonna get cold out eventually.

"Here Clem… want some… uuh… Batteries?" Doug asked, handing her some batteries he found awkwardly.

She tried smiling, and took them, not knowing what to say.

"Thanks, Doug." Eleanor said, and Doug nodded his head.

"Hey, Lee? You know that camcorder? I got it working… you might wonna see this." Doug explained, and played it for Lee and Eleanor.

On the camcorder showed somebody stalking the motor inn… There was Larry and Mark trying to fit a couch from one of the rooms outside, Lee pushing a car and Kenny steering it to form the barrier. Just behind the car was Clementine drawing in the sidewalk. The camcorder seemed to zoom in on her in particular… Then it skipped to footage of a girl dropping the camera in a car… possibly the same care they had just stolen stuff from.

"JAKE, BART, LINDA, and ALL YA'LL FUCKING SICKO'S FROM THE SAVE LOTS! THEY CALL YA'LL BANDITS! BUT YOU'RE FUCKING RAPIST MONSTERS!" A woman called, and the footage skipped to the motor inn again. It was this morning.

Ben had just arrived, and Lee had just ran into Eleanor, and was giving food to Mark.

"Hey… Clem… can I talk to you for a minute?" Eleanor asked. Clem walked towards her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"M-Mark and I are wondering… what happened to your hat?" Eleanor asked anxiously.

"I don't know, it just went missing. Lee told me he'll help me find it." Clementine said.

"I promise, I won't let anything happen to your hat. It's your trade-mark." Eleanor said.

"You all thinkin' you're safe, sittin' there actin' like things are the way they used to be?" The woman behind the camera said, and pointed the camera at her. She didn't look good… he hair was matted and pulled back, and her face was riddled with dirt. "The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta be afraid of… the people I used to call friends… the people who took…" The woman looked as if she was about to start crying, when she changed the subject quickly.

"Don't worry, little girl. Bandits got their eye on that dairy. As long as they keep getting' food from them, you'll be safe. I promise." Were her final words.

'Oh shit…'

**AND DONE! Wheeww, that wasn't so hard, now was it, Tash? **

**So, Episode three is coming on Monday! Be ready! **

**For those of you who have played the game know that it's the really long and emotional Episode. Lots of things happen. Sooo, I'm looking forward to it. :D **


	8. Chapter 8: Batman, Robin and Catwoman

**Hello!**

**Here's another chap for you guys!**

**Sorry it's a little bit late. ^_^ **

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD FRANCHISE**

It was a hazy afternoon in the motor inn. Kenny and Lee had gone out to gather supplies. It had been a month since the incident with the St Johns, and nobody really seemed to want to talk about it.

It was there way of dealing with it. But Eleanor wanted to talk. Something happened on that farm. Something that will change her life forever.

And she needed to tell somebody about it. It had been burning in her ever since they got back.

She walked to the middle of the courtyard, looking around at people. Ben was on watch again… and she doubted he'd be able to understand what she was talking about. Katjaa was sitting on the couch that was brought outside with Duck. Eleanor considered this, but decided against it. As nice as Katjaa was, she wasn't exactly what she needed.

Eleanor looked at Lily's room, and sighed. She knocked on the door softly, and waited a few seconds before Lily opened the door. She smiled at her, looking forward to a conversation

Eleanor had been working on getting her better. She didn't know a lot about therapy, but she had gone to so many sessions of her own she figure it couldn't be _that_ hard. What Lily really needed was somebody to talk to. And Eleanor was always there to help her.

"Hello, El." She said.

"Hey, you have a minute?" Eleanor asked.

"Sure, come on in." Lily said, and sat on the bed, and Eleanor sat on the chair on the other side of her.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

"I want to talk about Larry."

There was a silence, making Lily look to the ground sadly, and at the same time angrily.

"Look, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. But you just can't keep holding a grudge on Kenny and Lee for what they did. Sure, it was a little pre-mature, to say the least, but they were just trying to keep people alive." Eleanor explained.

"He was all I had…" Lily said, shaking her head, looking like she was about to cry.

"Don't think that way. He was having a hard time living in this new world… think about it. His heart couldn't take just how shit this place became. Instead of murder, think of it as a mercy shot. What ever tragedies we come across in the future, he's spared." Eleanor explained.

"What about you? What about the St. Johns? They killed your only family, too." Lily snapped back.

"They did…" Eleanor said, and there was a silence. "I don't hate them, you know?" She said suddenly.

"What?"

"I thought I did… sitting in that room all alone, I thought I could never hate anyone more than I did then. But when I went after them… I realized it wasn't them I hated. It was me."

"But they murdered your brother, and fed him to us." Lily said in shock.

"I know that! I know… but… when I saw Danny laying in that pile of hay, bleeding and crying in agony… when I saw him looking up at me with those eyes… I just couldn't bring myself to hate him. He was human, just trying to survive in a terrible way. They just weren't right in the head…"

"Then why did you beat Andy to a bloody pulp?"

"When I was punching him, I didn't see him. I saw myself. I saw what I had become. A sociopathic, narcissistic, manipulative bitch who cared only about herself. And when the only other person in this world she cared about died, she did as well." Eleanor explained.

"I just wish… I wish he could've…" Lily began.

"Wish he could've what?"

"I wish this whole thing never happened. I want to be back home… looking after him. I want things to be the way they used to be."

"But they can't. So we have to find a way to survive right here and right now. And what will keep you alive right now is letting go of your grudge towards Kenny and Lee. The only thing it's gonna cause is more tension, and that's the last thing we need." Eleanor explained.

Lily nodded her head, looking mournfully at the ground.

"Once Lee gets back, I need to talk to you and him." She said.

"Why us?"

"You guys are a good team. I'd like to talk to both of you. Avoid mis-communication." Lily explained.

"Makes sense." Eleanor said.

And as if Lily had predicted the future, there was a knocking on the door, and Eleanor opened it to see Kenny and Lee looking back at them with bags of supplies.

Eleanor sighed in relief to see them again. She was nervous when they said they were going to go through one last sweep of the old drug store. She wanted to go with them, but she knew she needed to stay here. Let them handle it for once.

She even let Ben take watch. He had insisted, and she just couldn't say no to him.

"Looks like we got the kid on watch again." Kenny said as soon as Eleanor opened the door.

"What'd you get?" Lily asked, coming up behind Eleanor and ignoring Kenny.

"We might as well leave a sign that says 'The men are gone, come and rape our women and children.'" Kenny ignored Lily as she grabbed Lee's rifle and gave him ammo for his pistol.

"Ha." Lily snorted, putting the rifle on the dresser.

"So, what did you get?" Eleanor asked, getting impatient.

"A lot of stuff." Lee said.

Kenny handed the bag to Lily, who brought it to the bed to check it out.

"Did everything go smoothly?" Eleanor asked.

"Well… it's complicated." Kenny replied.

"How so?" Eleanor asked in suspicion.

"Well, however it went, this will keep us going. Good work. If we carry on like this, we could get through the winter here." Lily explained, walking towards the door again.

"The winter here? We'll freeze our ass's off!" Kenny explained.

"Because piling into an RV with you…" Lily trailed off, looking at the ground, as if she was fighting herself.

"I don't know about this RV trip anymore, guys." Eleanor said.

"Why not? What made you change your mind?" Kenny asked.

"Well, we've got a good thing going here."

"Yeah, but how long will that last? Take a look at that wall, El. That's not graffiti, those are bullet holes. And we have enough arrow shafts to hang our laundry on. And that's all besides the point that Macon is busting at the seems with walkers." Kenny explained.

He made a good point. But was Lily ready to leave? But Eleanor just couldn't say that. How would that hold up? Lily is too unstable to leave the only place she thinks is safe? No, that wouldn't work. But what else is she supposed to say?

"We have to leave eventually, El." Lee said patiently.

"It's suicide out there." Lily mentioned.

"We'll die in here. The only reason you wanted to stay here was because of your dad's health. But he's gone now." Kenny said, making Lily frown deeply at him.

"Easy, Kenny…" Lee murmured, giving him the same look Eleanor was giving him. A stern, yet gentle reminder that he was coming off too strong.

"So, uh… you guys are having a disagreement?" Doug asked, coming from behind them.

"Cool it, Doug." Kenny spat as Katjaa came to join them.

"Don't boss people around." Lily defended.

"I'm sorry, somebodies' got to make executive decisions for the group, and I don't think you're capable anymore." Kenny explained.

"We're strongest together, Lily. It can't be you verses us. We're sorry for what happened to your dad, but we're in this together now." Lee explained.

"I know that…" Lily started.

"What about the food situation? What about protection? What about when this place falls? Somebody's gotta be thinking about this stuff." Kenny spat out.

"I know…" Lily said, grinding her teeth. "How has this not been working? We have everything we need."

"Cause of Lee and I."

"That's BS Kenny… and you know it."

"What about the medicine?"

"What medicine?"

"Do you know how we got these supplies? We got lucky and let a girl get eaten out there." Kenny explained.

"What?" Katjaa asked in shock.

"Some girl. She came screaming out of an alley. She had dead hanging all over her. She gave us enough time to get everything we could out of the drugstore." Kenny explained.

"You just let her suffer like, what, like bait? God… what is happening…" Lily said, looking at the floor. Eleanor did the same. Things were getting tough here…

"We're all suffering." Kenny said.

"Some more than others." Lily snorted.

"Look, Macon and it's people aren't savable. It's not a town, it's FULL of walkers, and the people who were left here are dying and wandering out on the streets. It's hell on earth, and it's coming this way." Kenny explained.

"IT'S NOT GONNA BE EASIER OUT ON THE ROAD!" Lily yelled, turning her back on Kenny.

"Easy, Lily." Eleanor said, putting her hand on her shoulder gently.

"What do you know?" Kenny asked.

"Kenny-" Eleanor started when Lily cut her off.

"What do I know? I know somebody has been stealing supplies. That's right, STEALING. And the list of people I trust gets smaller everyday!" Lily yelled.

"Okay, okay. Everybody get out." Eleanor said patiently. When nobody moved, she was forced to yell. "Get out!"

Lily slumped herself on the bed, cradling her head with her hands. Eleanor sat next to her, and stroked her back calmingly.

"They're just so unfair." She started.

"I know, I know." Eleanor whispered soothingly.

"You saw how bad they got. How am I supposed to forgive them?"

"You do what you can. There is plenty wrong with Kenny, believe me, but we can't hold that against him."

Lily tried to fight back tears, but a few seemed to have escaped, and she wiped them away quickly.

"It's okay to cry." Eleanor said suddenly.

"No, I can't…"

"Yes, you can. I'm not going to judge you. It's good for you."

Lily looked sadly at the ground, letting the tears flow softly.

"You'd be a good mother." She said suddenly.

"What?"

"Trust me, you would. You're very… comforting." Lily said.

Eleanor smiled, the thought of her being a mother warming her.

There was a knock on the door, and Lee walked in.

'Oh thank God…'

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. Have a seat." Eleanor said, motioning towards the chair in front of the bed.

"I'm sorry." Lily said sadly, pulling her head from her hands.

"You don't need to apologize. I came in to see if I can help at all. You know, take a little weight off your shoulders." Lee explained.

"Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you. Both of you." Lily explained.

"About the missing supplies?" Lee asked.

"Yes, he or she or they have been taking things."

"For real? Have any evidence?"

"For real. And I don't have shit. I just know."

"Lily…"

"The counts off and it's the good stuff. Antibiotics, oxy, fuck, anything with opium in it."

"I see the count, and it's fine."

"I keep my own, that ones being messed with. I may be a mess right now, but I'm not stupid. I know what will happen when I start a witch hunt."

"So you want us to do it?"

"I'd like you to poke around, see what you can find. But please, try to not set anyone into alarm."

There was a slight silence as Lee and Eleanor shared a glance.

"What's there to go on?" Eleanor asked.

Lily reached down and picked up a broken flash light.

"This. I found it tossed in the garbage. We don't throw things away, we fix them. You'd only want to get rid of something you shouldn't have been using in the first place."

"Okay, we'll poke around a bit." Lee said.

"Thank you." Lily said.

Eleanor patted her on the back one last time before leaving with Lee.

Once they did, a small voice found them.

"A mystery." Duck said, making the two people turn to him.

"Jesus, Duck." Lee grumbled, crossing his arms impatiently.

"I'm sorry, I heard you guys talking."

"You need to un-hear all of that." Lee said, turning away from him. Eleanor followed.

"Can I help?" Duck asked, running after them.

"Duck…" Eleanor started.

"What did I just say?" Lee asked peevishly.

"You're the greatest detective, she can be Jean Harlow, and I can be Dick Grayson. Your ward." Duck said, making Eleanor smile down at him.

Lee didn't do the same. He glared at Duck, un amused.

"That's Robin." Duck said.

"I know who it is." Lee said.

Eleanor elbowed him, and gave him a look, making him sigh.

"Fine, you're Robin." He said.

"Yes! What do I have to do?" Duck asked, putting his hands on his hips triumphantly.

"Just see if you can find anything out of place, something weird. And the second you do, report back." Eleanor explained.

"I'm on the case, mistress." Duck said, running off, pretending to be a super hero.

Eleanor smiled at him, and Lee looked at her curiously.

"What?" She asked, noticing him.

"You're smiling…"

"Don't act as if you've never seen it before."

"El, I've known you for four months. It's not only until this last month you started to… change."

"Good way or bad way?"

"Good… very good… I don't know what happened, but I'm liking it."

Eleanor smiled at Lee, then looked around for people they should ask.

"Should we ask Ben?" She asked.

"Sure." Lee replied.

The two walked towards the RV and looked up at Ben.

"Hey Ben. Have you seen anything weird on watch? Is there anybody out there up to anything?" Lee asked.

"Nope, really quite." Ben replied.

"Really?" Eleanor asked.

"Yeah, totally. Which is good."

"A flash-light was broken. Was it you?" Eleanor asked.

"No." Ben replied quickly.

"You're not in trouble or anything. I know you get nervous, maybe you went out to go to the bathroom, broke it, got worried and tossed it." Eleanor suggested.

"What's with the third degree? I didn't break any flash light!" Ben said, his voice cracking with nervs.

"Alright then." Lee said, and the two of them walked away.

"Think it was him?" Lee asked as they walked towards Kenny and Katjaa.

"We can't just jump to conclusions. We should investigate before we go pointing fingers." Eleanor replied.

"Good idea."

As they approached Kenny and Katjaa they heard them arguing under their breath.

"Hey you two, how is it going?" Lee asked.

"We're okay." Katjaa said.

"Just having a little spat." Kenny said.

"We all carry guns now, and… I don't like it.

"It's the way it's gotta be."

"I know, but I'm not getting used to it." Katjaa shook her head. "Anyway, how are you two?"

"A little frustrated, to be honest. You need to try harder with Lily. You guys gotta straighten this out." Eleanor said.

"Don't know how straight we can get this, given all that's happened." Kenny replied.

"So what then?"

"Time will come when we have to do what best for our families. And that's what we'll do."

Katjaa gave Kenny a look that he didn't seem to notice, so Lee tried to change the subject.

"About the guns…"

"Don't you start." Kenny spat. Lee looked at him, then back at Katjaa.

"I just wanted to say, Kat, that it's probably good that they make you uncomfortable."

"Thank you Lee."

Kenny sighed and looked to the ground.

"But we need them. There's no doubt about that." Lee said.

"One last thing, do you guys know anything about this?" Eleanor asked, showing them the flashlight.

"Fuuck… we don't got many of those left."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a problem. Not even Doug can fix this thing now."

"I saw some glass over by the ice machine, I meant to pick it up before the kids hurt themselves on it. I forgot though." Katjaa said.

"Thanks, guys." Eleanor said. He and Lee walked over to the ice machine. Sure enough, there was some broken glass there. Lee picked it up and held it to the flash light. Perfect match.

"Lee, look over here." Eleanor said, looking around the corner.

There was an X drawn in pink chalk on the wall.

"It's chalk…" Eleanor said, and the two of them looked over at Clementine.

'She had nothing to do with it… but she's the only one with pink chalk.'

"Maybe somebody barrowed it from her." She suggested.

"Of course. Lets go." Lee said, but before the two of them could leave, Duck stepped up next to them.

"Pink. Hmm." He said.

"Duck." Lee growled warningly.

"A clue!" Duck said, smiling up at Lee.

"Maybe."

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't think it's anything."

"Maybe it's a sign."

"Could be…"

"Okay, back to investigating." And with that, he ran off.

Eleanor looked at Lee, and the two of them laughed.

They walked towards Clementine, and crouched next to her.

"Hey, Clem." Eleanor said.

"Hey guys." She replied, smiling at the two of them.

"Do you have any pink chalk?"

"No. It's gone somewhere."

"Hmm…"

"Do you want blue?"

"Haha, no, but thanks, Clem. You didn't break a flashlight, did you by any chance?"

"No, did Duck say I did?"

"No. Did Duck break the flash light?"

"I don't think so. He's just always blaming me for stuff."

"Like what?"

"Putting a bug on his pillow."

"Did you do that?

"…yes"

Eleanor laughed, and patted Clementine's head softly.

"You silly girl." She said, making Clementine smile.

"Psst, Lee." Duck's voice came from behind them, and they walked towards him.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"I found something." Duck said, and pulled something from his pocket.

It was pink chalk.

"Where did you find that?" Eleanor asked.

"I found in a scuff of it over by the gate."

"Really?"

"Totally!"

"Good job, Duck! Lets go investigate." Eleanor said, and the three of them walked over to the gates.

Duck put his hand up towards Eleanor, waiting for a high five.

'Oh my goodness…'

Eleanor smiled and clapped her hand on his, making him smile wider.

"Cool!" He exclaimed.

Eleanor nodded, and looked down at the bit of pink chalk underneath the dumpster.

In the corner of her eye she saw Duck put his hands on his hips again, and looked up in the sky victoriously.

"You didn't break the flash light, did you?" Lee asked.

"No. Mom and dad won't let me touch anything, Lily neither."

"That's probably for the best." "You seem to know a lot about this. The chalk, the scuff over here…" Lee started.

"Oh come on, you think Duck has been behind this? Can't you trust your own ward, detective?" Eleanor asked, making Lee glare at her.

"Yeah! I'm a good guy!" Duck said.

Lee rolled his eyes and pushed the dumpster over slowly.

"You didn't find anything else, did you Robin?" Eleanor asked.

"Nope, just the chalk. I also found a bunch of bugs underneath the stairs. Don't tell Clementine." Duck said nervously.

"I won't, don't worry." Eleanor replied.

"Alright, stay here, Duck. I mean it this time. Eleanor and I will go on and search from here." Lee said.

"Alright." Duck said.

Once they were over, Eleanor took a look at all the arrows that were stuck in the fence.

"Wow… they've been quite for days now." She mumbled.

"Yeah." Lee replied.

Eleanor looked at the vent, and saw something inside.

"Lee, over here." She said, running towards it. She opened up the vent, and inside was a doggy back.

A doggy back filled with the missing medicine.

…**okay, I'm sorry for ending it here! But if I didn't it would be a boring long chap! … Don't look at me like that!**

**Hope you enjoyed this less action-packed chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9: Two Birds, One Bullet

**Hello!**

**I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy getting myself ready for summer and such.**

**Well, hope you guys enjoy this! I'll try to have this whole story finished before I leave for work this summer. It starts at the end of this month, so I'll be plenty busy!**

**And a quick message, Elvira and I are writing a DC villians story. I've made two characters. First one will be up tomorrow, and second will be on Sunday, and on Monday another one of these stories! Be ready for massive uploads! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN WALKING DEAD**

_Lee walked up to Eleanor, who was standing on the upper porch, looking down at the camp._

"_What did you want to talk about?" He asked, making Eleanor turn to him._

"_Lee… I hate to bring up old wounds, but… you haven't really told anyone about your past. About…" They both knew what she was talking about._

"_No… I've haven't told anyone. I don't think it's important." Lee explained._

"_Oh believe me, it is. As hard as I'm working with Lily, I'm always afraid it's the next thing she's gonna say. People can turn on you, Lee. If shit hits the fan, it's good to be honest with everyone." _

"_What if people turn on me now?"_

"_They won't. After everything this group has gone through, I'm pretty sure you're redeemed. You don't have to tell everyone everything, just the people you trust." _

"_What about you?"_

_Eleanor smiled teasingly at Lee._

"_I'm a cop, remember? I haven't killed anyone outside of my work. But I do have a few things I'd like to tell you guys. I'm just waiting for the moment to be right." Eleanor explained. _

_Lee nodded his head, and held his hand out to Eleanor._

"_Shake on it?" He asked.  
Eleanor smiled, and shook Lee's hand._

"_You bet."_

Eleanor and Lee both walked into Lily's room, carrying with them a panicked vibe, as well a doggy bag filled with the missing medicine.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"We found the missing supplies." Eleanor said simply, and Lee handed her the bag.

"It was just outside the fence in a grate, and on the other side of the motor inn was a sign." Lee explained.

Lily peeked in the bag, and looked up at them, her face turning from curious to angry and panicked.

"Holy fuck." She exclaimed.

"Yeah." Lee said, crossing his arms and sat on the chair on the other side of the bed as Lily looked down in thought.

"Okay. We line everybody up. Everybody. Somebody is killing us. Stealing from that supply is the same as slipping into your room at night and cutting your throat while you sleep. You die. What is the difference? What if Clementine gets sick and we don't have what we need…" Lily started ranting, but was cut short by a noise outside. Eleanor shot to the window quickly to see what was happening.

There were four bandits standing over the group who's hands were behind their heads. Each of the bandits were armed with pistols and crossbows.

"What the hell?" Lily asked, following Eleanor.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING STEAL FROM US!" A bandit yelled.

"This is not good." Eleanor said simply.

"What do we do?" Lee asked, and Lily ran to the other side of the room and grabbed her rifle.

"They're gonna start kicking in doors any second!" Lily exclaimed, and grabbed Eleanor's arm.

"Lily? What the hell are you…" Lee started, but was cut off.

"You're coming with me, El. Lee, go out and stall them." Lily explained

"What?" Lee asked.

"Keep them talking. Do whatever it takes to stop him pulling the trigger." Lily explained, opening the window, and climbed out with Eleanor.

"YOU MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIVES!" The bandits called as Lily and Eleanor sneaked to the top of the deck quietly.

"Enough of this bullshit! Drew, start putting your boot to these doors!"

"Yeah!"

"Hold it, asshole!"

"Take it easy." Lee said, trying to calm down the situation.

Lily and Eleanor ducked behind the wall of the deck, and they peeked their heads to see what was happening.

Lee was standing right in front of the bandits, all of them pointing guns at him. But he was completely still.

Eleanor felt a smile appearing on her face. He could do anything.

"We have more supplies. We can keep the deal going." Lee said.

Lily aimed the gun at the bandit's head, but Eleanor put a hand on her shoulder.

"Not yet. I'll tell you when." She said, her voice dipping down an octave. She didn't usually use this tone, only when she was working.

"Too late shithead! We ain't giving second chances!" The bandit yelled.

"It was a mix-up! We'll make it worth your while."

"… I'm listening."

"We can split the supplies. Spread them around!"

"Or we could just kill you and take it ALL!"

"And what about when they run out? When you don't have us out there collecting them for you?"

There was a silence as the bandit let down his gun.

Eleanor's smile grew wider.

"Well… I suppose we oughta hash out some terms, then." The bandit said, his tone calmer.

"I don't like no hash." Another bandit in a baseball hat and sunglasses said.

"Man, shut up!" The first bandit called.

"Now." Eleanor whispered, and without hesitation Lily sent a bullet flying into the bandit's skull.

"Christ!" Ben called, and the group scattered.

The bandits all wavered, shocked by what just happened.

Without a word Eleanor lunged herself over the railing, rolled when she hit the ground, and landed in a squat and shot the last two bandits.

"Everyone into the RV!" Lee called.

The last one made a run for the fence. Eleanor aimed and shot, but only hit his leg. He landed on the other side of the fence.

Eleanor got up to finish him off when he whistled, and at least ten more of the bandits emerged from the woods.

"Shit!" Eleanor exclaimed, and ran to the RV quickly.

"Get back there! Smoke him out!" One of the bandits called.

Eleanor watched as Ben tried to make a run towards the RV from behind the couch, but was stopped immediately when one of the bandits shot right at him. He fell to the floor, and scattered bad to the couch quickly.

To the right was Katjaa, Duck and Clementine.

"Lee, take the right, I'll take the left." Eleanor said, noticing Lee had a rifle in his hands now.

Lee nodded and ran to the other side of the RV.

Eleanor poked her head from the side of the RV to examine the situation.

Ben and Doug were ducking behind the couch as three bandits tried to snake their way to them.

"Oh no you don't." Eleanor muttered, and sent a bullet through one of the bandit's head; making the other two take cover.

One got up and started shooting at Eleanor, and she immediately retreated behind the RV.

When the shooting stopped Eleanor looked out again, and saw one bandit's head poking up from a dresser.

She shot him clean through the eyes, and did the same when the third bandit got up.

"Get over here! Hurry!" She called to Ben and Doug.

"Thanks, El. You saved our asse's!" Ben exclaimed and both him and Doug jumped into the RV.

"Lee!" Eleanor heard panicked little voice, and turned to see Clementine hugging Lee.

"Get in the RV." Lee said, pulling away quickly, and Clementine nodded.

She ran towards Eleanor, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the RV.

"I'll be right in, Clem, just go." She whispered, and Clementine obeyed.

"Katjaa!" Lee yelled, making Kenny jump from the drivers seat and out to see Katjaa and Duck pinned down by a walker.

Lee shot the walker off of them, and Kenny ran towards them in a flash.

He helped Katjaa up, who helped Duck up, and soon the three of them were running into the RV.

"How the hell did walkers get in here?!" Eleanor asked.

"It doesn't matter, we gotta leave, now! Kenny, get that motor going!" Lee called.

The engine whined in protest as Kenny attempted to start it.

"I've got this! El, Lee, take care of the walkers!" Doug called, bolting from the RV and popping the hood to the engine.

Eleanor went back to her vantage point at the right of the RV, and Lee went to the left.

It was amazing how fast the walkers had intruded the once peaceful motor in…

Between both Eleanor and Lee the two of them must have shot fifteen walkers before the engine finally started.

"Lily, get down here!" Eleanor called as Lee and Doug jumped into the RV.

"Screw her!" Kenny called.

Eleanor jumped into the RV and grabbed Kenny's shoulder firmly.

"We're not going anywhere without her, you hear me?" She growled.

But to her surprise Lily jumped into the RV seconds after, and the two of them retreated to the back of the RV. The door shut, and the car bolted through the fence and down the road. Leaving the place they called home for four long months.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Kat! Christ, are you okay?!" Kenny called once the group was away from the now walker invested motor inn.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Katjaa replied.

Ben and Doug sat next to each other on the couch in the RV, while Clementine sat at the table with Eleanor.

Lee and Lily stood next to each other, staring down at Ben, who's head was buried deep in his hands.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…" He kept rambling.

"Ben, it's okay." Eleanor tried to comfort him.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking up at Lily.

"Calm down. We need to figure out why this happened. We just lost everything.

"Nobody died. We're okay, right? Katjaa, you're okay?" Doug called.

"Kat's head is split open!" Kenny called.

"I'm fine!" Katjaa replied sharply.

"Somebody in here caused this." Lily began.

"Settle down back there; the bandits have had our number for weeks!" Kenny replied sharply.

"This is different." Lily said, and looked at Lee. "Somebody was working with them. Whoever it was, was slipping them our meds. They didn't get their last package so the attacked."

"Calm down back there! That's nuts!" Kenny called.

"Lily, this is not the time for this." Eleanor warned.

"Lee and El found a bag of supplies hidden outside the all." Lily exclaimed.

"It's true…" Lee said, making Eleanor look to the ground.

"So, Ben. I think we need to talk." Lily said.

"Okay, Lily, stop." Eleanor said, lifting her head again.

"Whoa, what!?" Ben shrieked.

"Uh, Lily, let's think about this logically, no?" Doug asked.

"LOGICALLY? The new guy who could have EASILY been a plant? I think that's pretty logical, Doug!" Lily's voice slurred with venom.

Eleanor had never seen Lily like this before… she wasn't just going to let this go. Nobody could convince her to stand down now.

"You think I'd do anything to hurt you guys!?" Ben asked.

"Don't play dumb. Where you hoping they would eventually kill us all and you could join them?" Lily began.

"Why Ben? What makes you think it was him?" Lee asked.

"He's always SO eager to see what supplies we found. He came into this crew a stranger from the woods. It's pretty cut and try to me." Lily explained.

"I came into this crew as a stranger." Doug said.

"So did I. Lily, you can't just go pointing fingers at people." Eleanor tried to bargain.

But there was no use.

"So who did it then?" Lily asked.

"Nobody did anything!" Ben said, his voice wavering.

"I know I don't get wrapped up in the politics around here, but we really need to think before we start stringing somebody up!" Doug said.

"Doug, I appreciate your concern, but we have all the evidence we need." Lily said.

"We have evidence!?" Kenny asked.

"No, not here, but they found the meds, they found an entire signaling system…" Lily started.

"Lily! Doug's right. Let's just sit down, eat, and we'll deal with this like adults." Eleanor said.

Lily turned to her, anger covering her entire being.

"Why give someone who almost killed us the opportunity? El, you know what we found." Lily called.

"It's behind us, Lily. What's happened has happened, we can't do anything about it now!"

"Yes we can! We have to!"

"Just, let me out of the car! I'll go! I didn't do it, but I'll GO! I don't like this! I don't like where it's heading!" Ben cried out.

"Good, that sounds great." Lily said through her teeth.

"Lily, look at him." Doug said sternly.

"Look me in the eye's and tell me you didn't have anything to do with it." Lily said, leaning closer to Ben.

"I…" Ben stuttered, but before he could finish his sentence, the RV jolted forward, and started to wobble.

"Shit!" Kenny called.

"What's going on up there?" Lily called.

"I hit something. We've gotta pull over." Kenny said, sounding exhausted.

"All right, well, we can deal with this now, then." Lily said.

Doug and Ben just looked at Lily. They've said all that they could have said; she just wasn't letting go of it.

Kenny pulled the RV over, and Eleanor got up.

"Is it safe, Kenny?" She asked.

"Should be." He replied.

"Everybody out." Lily said, making Lee turn to her.

"Lily…" he warned.

"Out." And with that Lily jumped out of the RV, followed by Doug, Ben and Lee.

Eleanor turned to Clementine.

"We'll be back in a little bit, kay Clem?" She asked.

"What's going on?" She asked, standing up.

"Nothing, sweetie." Eleanor hesitated, and glanced at the door, then back at Clementine.

"If you hear anything bad, just close your eyes. Pretend you're back at home, before all of this. And when I come back, I'll tell you to open them, and the world will be good again." She said.

Clementine glanced at the door of the RV, at the people arguing, but Eleanor took her cheek and gently pulled her gaze back at her.

"Close your eye's." She whispered.

Clementine shut her eye's tightly, and Eleanor rubbed her back comfortingly, and sat her down at the table again.

"It'll all be okay." She whispered, and turned to the door of the RV.

"Eleanor, we need your vote!" Lily called, and she stepped out of the car.

"What?" She asked.

"Who do you think it is?" Lily asked, panic in her voice.

"We don't need any votes! What will it take for you to trust me!? I'll do anything! I-I'll do watches for months!" Ben cried.

"Oh, the hell you will." Lily spat.

"I'll get more food, more medicine, anything, just…"

"You think any that matters now?!"

"Stop panicking, Ben! Seriously, you need to stop and take a breath. Just chill out." Eleanor interrupted.

"Do we need anymore evidence than this?" Lily asked, turning to Eleanor.

"Evidence or not, this isn't anyway to treat one of _us._" Doug called.

"I've heard enough out of you, okay, Doug?" Lily asked.

"What, because you know he's right? Lily, come on, you're not being fair at all!" Lee begged.

"Zip it, Lee! Kenny, what's it gonna be?!" She yelled.

"Just give me a damn minute!" Kenny replied.

"Ben, you have until Kenny kills that walker to tell me it was you." Lily warned.

"No!" Ben yelled.

"Ben! This is all about trust, and I've never trusted you!"

"Stop it! All of you, just fucking stop!" Eleanor shrieked, and turned to Lily.

"Lay off, Lily! You've got us on the side of the road, it's ridiculous! This is fucking pointless!"

"I can't… You know I can't." Lily almost begged.

"Yes, Lily, yes you can!" Eleanor replied.

"Please, just listen to her!" Ben added.

"I can't handle this!" Doug said.

"Let's all just get back into the RV." Lee offered.

"That's not happening." Lily snapped.

"Yes. It. Is." Eleanor said through her teeth, her voice dipping an octave again, making Lily stop at least for a moment.

It was always a surprise when Eleanor turned from her normal self to her cop self.

But the surprise was short lived when Kenny pulled the walker from under the truck, and smashed it's head in with his foot.

"Alright. What's the fucking problem?" He asked, coming towards the group.

Lily pushed Eleanor away from her, and pointed the gun at Ben.

"No!" Doug yelled, and shoved Ben out of the way, sending Lily's bullet into his skull instead of Ben's.

The sound of Doug's body hitting the ground stopped the mayhem, and Lily stared down at what she had done.

A deep silence filled the group, and Lee slammed Lily against the RV.

"Drop it." He snarled, and Lily dropped her pistol.

Ben went to his knees next to Doug, checking for a pulse.

"What's going on in there!" Katjaa called.

"Shit! Katjaa, get Duck away from the windows! Jesus Christ!" Kenny called back, and turned to Lee. "Get in! We're leaving this crazy bitch!"

"I didn't mean to, it wasn't supposed to be him." Lily said, her voice changing instantly from angry to broken.

Lee stared straight into Lily's eye's, his eyebrows knitted together in an intense frown.

"You're not coming with us." He snarled, pulling away from her.

Eleanor took a deep breath, looking down at Doug's body.

"I'll die out here." Lily begged as Lee bent down to pick up her gun.

"I don't care." He replied sharply, and passed the gun to Eleanor.

"You're a murderer Lily! We can't have you with us!" Kenny added.

"I'm a murderer?! You've had Lee with you this whole time!" Lily said.

"I don't care what he did before."

There was a silence.

"You know?!" Lily asked in shock.

"Yeah, he told me. I don't give a shit! If we keep you with us, how long until you get ME?" Kenny asked.

"Or anybody for that matter." Eleanor grumbled in the background, making Lily turn to her.

"I-I was trying to protect all of us. I don't have anything left…" Lily begged.

"Get in, Lee. Lets go you guys." Kenny said, and hopped in the RV.

Ben got up, and looked at Lily, then followed Kenny.

Lee stared at Lily intensely, shook his head, and climbed in with everyone else.

Lily turned to Eleanor, who walked up to her sadly.

"Lily… I know you mean well. But you just didn't listen to us. If you want to protect people, you've got to listen to them. And your stubbornness coasted us a life. You can't afford to make a mistake at this point… and you just made a big one." Eleanor explained.

Lily looked down to the ground, tears forming in her eyes.

"You don't want me anymore?" She asked.

"No, Lily, that's not it. I hate to see you leave, I really do. But I've tried my best to help you. And you've never listened. You didn't listen to a word I said, did you? You didn't listen a word anybody said. Because you were so stuck, Lily. You just couldn't let it go when you needed to. I want you to remember this night like that. Not that we kicked you out, but a new start." Eleanor explained, and took Lily's hands gently.

"When I look at you, Lily, I see a smart, beautiful, strong, independent girl who can get through anything if she just put her mind to it. Find another group, be to them what you weren't to us. Be the best damn Lily you can be."

Lily looked up at Eleanor, her eye's filled with tears.

Eleanor slipped the gun Lee had given her into Lily's hands, and patted them comfortingly.

"Thank you." Lily said, her voice breaking.

Eleanor hugged Lily tightly, holding back tears of her own. She needed to stay strong. She just couldn't break down in front of Lily… or Clementine.

She pulled away, smiled as she patted Lily's cheek gently, and climbed into the RV.

Once she got in she saw Clementine curled up next to Lee, her eye's still shut tight.

She sat down next to her as Kenny drove off, not bothering to look back at Lily.

With a deep breath she put her hand on Clementine's back softly.

"You can open your eye's now." She said gently.

Clementine opened her eye's quickly.

"What happened to Doug?" She asked.

It took Eleanor a second to respond, holding back her tears fiercely.

"Gone, and not coming back." She finally said.

"He was killed. It's horrible." Lee added.

There was a silence as the three of them stayed still in thick vibe that developed in the truck.

"Duck's bitten." Lee finally said, making Eleanor's head drop.

"What?" Clementine asked.

"He was bitten during the raid." He said.

Eleanor swallowed deeply, her breath breaking.

"I… I don't feel good." Clementine said.

"My brother almost died, once." Lee started.

"But he lived?" Clementine asked.

"Oh yeah. It was scary though. This one time, these boys from the other side of town were hassling him. He was on his bike and they were in a truck throwing things at him, calling him names; stuff like that. And this tough son of a gun, he peddles up after them and he catches them. He pulls his bike up alongside the truck and jumps into the back and starts beating on 'em. He teaches all three of 'em a lesson. But the truck's still moving, you see, and just as he stands up to jump out, it zooms underneath a tree and a branch hits him square in the face, and he goes flying out the back." Lee paused, looking to the ground quickly.

"Anyway, if he can live through that, I'm sure Duck can live through this." He finished his story.

Eleanor was surprised to find herself significantly calmer after Lee's story, and took a deep breath.

'Whatever happens, I need to be strong. I need to be strong for Clementine.'

**(takes a deep breath) intense, no? Poor Doug :(. Poor Lily!**

**I just wanted to explain why Eleanor got close to Lily for a little, and why I made it that way.**

**Everyone seems to hate Lily, and I don't know why. She's one of my favorite characters, and I show why in this chap. **

**And as much as I like her, I still don't like the idea of keeping her with the group after she kills Doug.**

**Anyway, hope you guys liked it. ^_^ **


	10. Chapter 10: Salvaging The Train Wreck

**Yay, a new chap!**

**Sorry this is a bit of a slow chap… they'll be a more interesting one up next. ^_^**

**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD WHATSOEVER**

"El, El, wake up." Lee whispered as he nudged Eleanor's shoulder roughly.

Eleanor groaned in reply, and blinked twice, trying to figure out where she was.

"What time is it?" She asked, putting a hand over her head tiredly.

"It's eight thirty." He replied.

Eleanor grunted again, getting up from the couch she had fallen asleep on.

She looked around in a daze.

"Where is everybody?" She asked.

"They're all outside. We found something, I think you might like it." Lee explained.

Eleanor yawned. What she would give for a coffee…

"Alright, lets go." She said, heading towards the door when Lee caught her by the arm.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for making Lily leave… I know you saw something different in her. And hey, I know you gave her the gun. It's okay." Lee said.

Eleanor took a deep breath and looked at Lee in the eye's.

"It's good she's gone. Now, can we talk after breakfast?" She asked.

Lee smiled, and nodded his head.

Eleanor scavenged around the RV, and was able to find a couple pieces of beef jerky, some cheese and crackers, a few juice boxes, and three apples.

She sighed. The rest of the food must've been left at the motor inn.

She grabbed two pieces of jerky and two boxes, and left the RV.

Lee was waiting for her outside, smiling like a little boy.

"Like it?" He asked.

Eleanor looked forward to see a large train in the middle of the road.

"It's a train…" She said.

"It's salvageable."

Eleanor looked at Lee, her eye's widening.

"No way…"

"Yes way."

In two seconds Eleanor came from half asleep to fully excited, and she found herself wrapping her arms around Lee tightly.

Lee hugged her back, but was surprised when he heard short sobs coming from her.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, hugging each other tightly as Eleanor's tears escaped her clutches.

She pulled away, wiping the tears away awkwardly.

"Sorry." She managed.

"It's okay. It's been a rough go for everyone." Lee said sympathetically.

Eleanor glanced at Duck, cradled in Katjaa's arms through the trees.

"I have a feeling it's not gonna get better from here, Lee…" She explained.

"I know. But we can get through this." He said.

"I will. I can… I can do it." Eleanor said, and Lee looked down at the jerky in her hands.

"Is that for me?" he asked teasingly.

"Uh, well… I was gonna give it to Clementine…" Eleanor said awkwardly, worried Lee would be mad. But he only smiled.

"It's fine. Lets go give it to her." He said, walking towards the group, but was stopped by Eleanor.

"You have to eat." She said sternly.

Lee sighed, but smiled at the blue haired girl in front of him.

"Alright. I'll grab something quickly. Go ahead, I'll be right there." Lee said.

Eleanor nodded, and walked towards the group.

The second she walked towards them she wished she was still sleeping in the RV.

The vibe was thick with sorrow and dreaded anticipation.

It was as if the motor inn was just a dream…

Eleanor shook her head quickly, and turned to Clementine, who was sitting alone on a log, looking sadly over at Duck.

Eleanor sat down next to her, plastering a fake smile.

"Hey, Clem. How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Okay…" Clementine mumbled.

Trying to smile, Eleanor looked down at her hands that were clutching the jerky and the juice box.

"Here." She said, handing her the food. "You need to have breakfast."

Clementine looked at the food, but only grabbed the juice box.

Eleanor sighed, knowing she couldn't get Clementine to eat. She tucked the jerky in her pocket, and took a large bight out of her own.

Lee walked over to her, and held a hand out.

"Come on, I'm going to check the train. Come with me." He said.

Eleanor nodded her head, and looked over at Katjaa, Duck lying limp in her hands.

"I-I'll be right there." She said, taking Lee's hand and letting him pull her up.

"Alright. Ben and I'll be waiting." He said, and walked towards the train.

Eleanor knelt down in front of Katjaa.

"Is Duck hungry?" She asked.

"No, more thirsty." Katjaa replied. She sounded completely numb.

"Here." Eleanor handed her the juice box, and Katjaa took it slowly.

Her movements were slowed, and her voice was slurring. She wasn't taking this well at all. She was staying strong only for her son.

She was definitely admirable.

"Just ask if you need anything, alright?" Eleanor asked.

"How about you? I know you liked Lily. How are you doing with her leaving?"

"I haven't had time to think about it."

"You guys made the right decision. Who knows what she'd do if she was still here."

"Thanks, Katjaa." Eleanor said, and stood up.

She turned to Clementine who was now looking at the ground sadly.

If Eleanor could barely stand this how the hell could an eight year old?

As she walked over to Lee and Ben she made a pledge to herself. If Katjaa can still be strong when her son is dying in her arms, she can, too.

"Alright, what do we have?" Eleanor asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"We were just about to check the drivers car. We could use an extra hand." Lee explained.

"Shall do. Lets go." Eleanor replied, and the three of them climbed the car, and slowly made their way towards the door.

They all stopped as they saw the back of a head of what looked like a walker… But neither of them could be sure.

"Is he…" Ben began, when Lee turned to him and put a finger over his mouth.

He pulled a monkey wrench from his belt, and opened the door as he raised the tool over the walkers head.

As soon as the door was opened, a wave of stench hit then, unlike any walker they had ever smelt before.

Lee seemed to push past it, hitting the man in the head roughly with his monkey wrench.

The walker fell to the ground, letting the group all take a better look at his face.

Half of his head was caved in, his whole face caked with crusted over with blood… He must've been here for quite a while.

Eleanor looked up to the window he was next to. The window was smashed and covered in blood…

"I don't think he came back." Ben said, stopping the silence.

"I agree…" Eleanor said.

Lee looked down, and saw a light blinking on the controls.

"Why is that light blinking?" He asked.

"Push it!" Ben exclaimed.

"Push It?" Lee asked in shock.

"Why not?

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Here, look." Ben said, and pressed the button without hesitation.

A screeching sound came from the end of the train.

"It's just the brakes." Ben said.

"Right, good job, Ben." Eleanor said, smiling.

"This fucker works?" Kenny asked, emerging from behind them, obviously hearing the sound of the breaks.

"Seems like it." Lee said as Kenny pushed past Eleanor and sat down at the drivers seat in excitement.

"I'll be damned. How the hell do we get this thing moving?" He asked.

"I don't know. Ask mister Amtrak over here." Lee said, motioning to Ben, who was dragging the dead body out of the car.

"No idea." He said.

"Here, let me help you." Eleanor said, lifting the dead body's legs. She cringed as she heard the sound of the flesh ripping from the bones at the movement.

The two of them threw the body to the other side of the train, watching as the limbs tore apart at the impact of the ground.

Eleanor shivered, and walked back into the car.

"Eleanor and I are going to go search around a little more. We'll let you know if we find anything." Lee said.

"Alright." Kenny said, trying to make sense of the controls.

Lee and Eleanor walked off of the drivers car, and walked towards the last one that was still intact.

"El… would you have left Lily on the street like that?" Lee asked.

Eleanor turned to him, surprised by the question.

"Why do you ask, Lee?" She asked.

"I'm just thinking… Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do…"

Eleanor shushed him before he could go on, making him look at her in surprise.

"I know you liked Doug, hell, everyone did, he was an amazing guy. It wasn't right what Lily did, but it doesn't mean we should look back at our decisions and wonder if we did the right thing. She chose not to listen to us. She new the price of her actions, yet she did it anyway.

I'm not saying she deserved it, but I'm not saying she didn't deserve it. What she deserved was a new start. And knowing her, she's getting one." Eleanor explained.

Lee smiled at Eleanor.

"Thanks." He said.

"No problem. Now, lets open this up." She said, and Lee pulled open the door.

Inside were a bunch of boxes, a chair, a mattress, and a lot of other rubbish all around it.

"Looks like somebody was living in here." Lee said, hopping up into the car.

"Or maybe they never left." Eleanor said.

Lee and Eleanor shared a worried glance, then looked back down at the scene in front of them.

Eleanor jumped inside and assessed the situation further.

"Look, there's a map of the train routes. We should bring it to Kenny." Lee said, bending down and picking up a clipboard with a piece of paper on it.

"Think Duck is still thirsty?" Eleanor asked.

"Maybe… better to be safe then sorry." Lee looking at the mattress again.

"Think whoever lived here is gone?" He asked.

"I don't think so. It looks recently used. Be on the look-out for anybody." Eleanor said. Lee nodded his head and jumped out of the car with Eleanor.

"I'll be back in a bit." She said, walking over to Katjaa.

The sight didn't get any better. In fact, it seemed to have gotten worse now that Kenny was gone. Eleanor was surprised to see Ben sitting next to Katjaa on the ground, looking pretty disappointed.

"What happened, Ben?" She asked.

"Kenny told me to sit back here." He grumbled.

Eleanor sighed, and handed the water bottle to Katjaa.

"Here, if Duck is still thirsty." She said.

"Thank you, El… He's allergic to bees." She said suddenly.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah… it's all I can keep thinking about, like somehow that matters."

"I don't think it does."

"I know. Well, I don't. But I think you're right." Katjaa said, and looked down at Duck.

"He looks tired." Eleanor mentioned.

"Yeah…"

"Probably fighting off whatever's inside him."

"I hope so. Tell us when you get the train working."

"Oh, you'll know."

And with that, Eleanor walked back to the train to meet with Lee.

"Hey, El, I think I found the instructions to turn on the engine, I just need a pencil." Lee said once she entered the car.

"Oh, like Clementine's leaf rubbing? Sorry, I didn't see anything. Might wonna poke around in the RV, just in case." Eleanor said. Lee nodded, and walked away, leaving Kenny and Eleanor alone.

"So, Ken…"

"Whatever you're gonna say, I don't wonna hear it." He snarled before she could say anything else.

'Well… his son is dying… we all handle this shit in different ways.'

Eleanor looked to the ground, and walked passed Kenny to see a notepad that read 'Engine Start'.

"That's why he needed the pencil, huh?" She asked out loud.

"You'd better hope there's one in the RV." Kenny snarled.

"I'm sure there will be."

Almost right on que, Lee walked in, holding a red pencil in his hand.

"Oh thank God." Eleanor said, and handed Lee the notepad.

After a minute of Lee rubbing the pencil against the paper, he had all the instructions clear.

"Perfect." He said, looking down at it.

"You can read it now?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah. Should be able to just follow the steps and get the engine running." Lee explained.

"Well, lets get to it." Eleanor said.

Between the two of them they had the engine going in a matter of seconds, looking over at the notepad, switching nobs, pulling levers and pressing buttons. The last two nobs were outside, and as the engine rumbled to a start, Eleanor and Lee smiled widely at each other.

"Holy shit, we're golden!" Kenny exclaimed as he walked out of the car of the train, and looked around triumphantly.

"What about Duck?" Lee asked.

"What about him?" Kenny replied, trying to be unfazed.

"Look, Kenny… it's something we have to deal with." Eleanor explained, trying to keep the situation calm.

"Did you not hear Kat? We don't know shit!" Kenny said, and looked out at the woods. "Lets fucking enjoy this. C'mon, lets see if she'll move." Kenny said, and walked back into the driver's car.

"Is it just me, or is he being really hypocritical?" Eleanor asked, making Lee turn his head to her.

"What?"

"Come on, I know you're thinking the same thing I am."

"It's different this time. This time it's his son."

"That doesn't mean Duck is different."

There was a pause, and Eleanor shook her head.

"Sorry. I'm just… We've never had a bite victim before, and the first one just has to be with a kid. What are we going to do?"

"We move on. We keep going, like we always do. We've gotta support Kenny and Katjaa through this. It'll all be alright." Lee explained.

Eleanor sighed. "I hope you're right."

Lee patted Eleanor's shoulder, and walked into the drivers car with Kenny.

"Go ahead." She heard Kenny said, and Lee pulled a lever, making the train lunged forward, but was stopped by something.

"Damnit!" Kenny yelled.

"We're still attached back here." Eleanor called.

"Can you two find were we're stuck, and get us… unstuck?" Kenny asked.

"Sure." Lee said, and walked to the end of the train, went through the car at the end, and hopped on the other side to see what they were attached to.

"Right, we can't bring all of that rubble with us, we need to detach here. Have you got that monkey wrench you had before?" Eleanor asked.

"Yup. I'll pry apart the hatch." Lee said, and lifted the chunk of metal that was attaching the train to the wreckage.

"Great. Now we ride all the way to the ocean. You really think it's a good idea to find a boat?" Eleanor asked as they jumped back into the car to get to the other side of the train.

"Well, I guess we'll see once we get there." Lee said.

Just at that moment, a voice came from behind them, making the both of them jump.

"You touch any of my stuff?"

Eleanor and Lee turned to see an older looking man dressed in ragged clothes walking slowly towards them.

'So that's who lives here…'

"Just some water and the map of the train routes." Lee said.

"Oh, that's fine, you can have those."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I got 'em all up in here. And I think that little boy could use that water more than I could." He turned to his mattress. "I guess it's no worse for wear. The names Chuck. Charles, if you're fancy."

"Lee."

"Eleanor."

"I've never seen somebody with blue hair like that. How do you find the hair dye now?" Chuck asked.

"I don't. It's a rare condition I had since I was born. So, basically, it's natural." Eleanor explained.

"Strange… I've never seen anything like that before."

"I guess I'm one of a kind."

"I guess you are. I saw you two walking through here, and thought of scaring the pants off of yah. But I couldn't force myself to do it." He explained.

"You're still kinda freaking me out." Lee said awkwardly, making Chuck chortle.

"Train folk'll do that to you. I've already met your crew outside. They all warmed to me right quick in direct sunlight." Chuck said, turning around and hoping out of the car, and towards the group again.

"Weird. I guess I never hang around trains very much." Lee said.

"I'm sure he's fine." Eleanor said, and the two of them followed behind him.

Once they were at the group Clementine jumped up at the sight of them. Eleanor couldn't help but notice the guitar next to Chuck, making her smile.

'I haven't seen one of those since Peter…' Eleanor quickly shrugged off that thought, and turned to Clementine.

"You two met Chuck!" She chimed.

"Yeah, we did." Lee said.

"It's so nice to meet somebody normal for a change." Katjaa said.

Eleanor snickered, and was elbowed in the side by Lee, making her shut up.

"He gave us candy! Ben too!" Clementine said before Eleanor could say anything.

Eleanor glanced over at Ben, who was munching on the candy he was given. He looked up at them nervously and stopped chewing for a second, and went back to chewing anyway.

Eleanor smiled and shook her head.

"Thanks, Chuck. Welcome to the group." Eleanor said.

"Have you met Kenny?" Lee asked.

"Sure did. Man shares my love of the road." Chuck replied, attempting what looked to be a smile…

"That's for sure…" Lee muttered.

Suddenly Duck started coughing, reminding everyone that he was still sick… still about to die.

Chuck got up and knelt down in front of the little boy being held tenderly by his mother.

"I'm awful sorry your son's not feeling good." He said sadly.

"I appreciate your concern." Katjaa said, her voice still sounding dull.

"Well, with a bit of TLC I'm sure he'll be fit as a fiddle in no time." He added just as Kenny walked towards the group. "I can offer ya'll whatever I got, although it's not much."

Kenny looked like he was about to say something, when Katjaa cut him off.

"Thank you. We'd like to do the same." She said, smiling warmly up at Chuck.

"Why don't we hold off on uh…" Kenny started.

"Stay with us. We'd like the company." Katjaa interjected yet again.

Kenny stared down at Katjaa for a long time, making Chuck naturally walk away from the silence. He sat down on the log, pulling up his guitar and started strumming it, trying to break the silence.

"Hey, uh, Chuck… you kinda caught us on a bad day." Lee explained.

"Well whatever it is, you still got two kids. And this one has a good spirit." Chuck said, motioning to Clementine who looked to the ground shyly.

Eleanor sat next to Chuck, and let the music take her to another time. A time where people weren't eating each other, and the world was the way it should be.

Kenny interrupted her smooth serenity.

"We don't have much left, so take whatever you need and go." He said firmly.

"We have some food left in the RV. I'll go get it quickly." Lee said, and walked towards the RV.

"Wonna ride?" Kenny asked Chuck.

"Well, it sounds like you're taking my home." Chuck answered.

"That a yes then?"

"Haven't found anything better for keeping the creepy crawlies out then that box car." He replied, and hopped in.

Lee walked over to the group, a backpack slung over his shoulder, just as Clementine walked towards Kenny and Eleanor.

She stopped for a minute, looking up at both of them before she spoke.

"Duck is sick." She said simply.

Before Eleanor could say anything, Kenny blurted out.

"Get on the train, Clementine."

Lee and Eleanor gave him a hard stare as Clementine jumped in behind Chuck.

Katjaa walked towards us, Duck still in her arms.

"He's getting sicker." She said.

She was right. It looked like Duck couldn't even walk anymore. All that waiting around while Lee, Eleanor and Kenny got the train ready must've taken a toll on him.

He didn't look like he had much time left…

"Let me look at him." Kenny said defiantly, and peeked at his son's pale face.

His eye's widened, and he backed away slowly.

"We can't ignore this…" Eleanor started.

"Look at the kid, Kenny. This is happening." Lee added.

"Ain't shit happening. And if it were, what can we do here? We get on the train, and we find something better. THAT is the plan." Kenny spat.

"I think Lee and El just want to talk it through." Katjaa said calmly.

"It's talked through! Get on, Kat." Kenny snarled, making Katjaa look to the ground sadly. "I'll be up front. I don't want to hear any nonsense until we get where we're going." And with that, Kenny walked to the front of the train.

Katjaa shared a worried glance with Lee, then walked into the car with Clementine, Ben and Chuck.

Eleanor followed behind them, and Lee followed Kenny.

Eleanor looked out the side of the train as they started forward, taking in a deep breath. Clementine stood with her, and turned to see Duck curled in Katjaa's arms.

It was silent, but everyone knew he wasn't going to make it.

Everyone knew he didn't have much time left.

They had to knock some sense into Kenny before it was too late.

**Hope you liked it!**

**Constructive Criticism is appreciated. **


End file.
